The Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, Wednesday, ordered a re-run of the gubernatorial election in the state.
In ordering a re-run of the election in 18 out of the 31 local government councils in the state, the Justice Sadiq Umar-led panel held that over 500,000 registered voters were disenfranchised in the affected 18 local government areas including Uyo, the state capital, during the April 11 governorship election.
The Tribunal, therefore, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct re-run election in 18 local government areas of the state out of the 31 local councils in the state.
Giving its verdict on Wednesday, the Tribunal said it was satisfied that there were discrepancies during the governorship election held on April 11.
It further upheld the petition filed by Okon Umana of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the declaration of Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the April 11, 2015.
