SDP, We Are Heading To Court Over Jalingo/Yoro/Zing House Of Reps. Election In Taraba.

 

By John Mkom, Jalingo. 

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) said it has commence legal process to claim the allegedly stolen mandate of the house of representative for Jalingo/Yoro/Zing federal constituency in Taraba state.

The supplementary election for house of representative for Jalingo/Yoro/Zing federal constituency was conducted on the 14th February 2024 where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sadiq Abbas, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) the winner while the candidate of the SDP Innocent Jabayang was declared the second runner up with a close margin. 

The returning officer for the election Prof. Olarenwaju Oladipo of the Federal University Wukari while declaring the result on Thursday said the winner of the election Hon. Sadiq Abbas of the PDP scored 19681 votes to defeat Hon. Innocent Jabayang of the SDP who scored 16379 votes, according to the INEC the deference between the two was 3,302.

Reacting to the declaration, Hon. Jabayang told journalists in Jalingo, the Tataba state capital that he has already commence legar process to claim the mandate which he alleged it was stolen in connivance between the INEC and the PDP. 

"My lawyers have already commenced legal process, I won the election, INEC connived with the PDP to rig my election, I have proven evidence to show to the judiciary that my mandate was stolen, am going to follow it to the judicial conclusion to get justices.

He said there were series of manipulations to favour the PDP candidate in the election which were orchestrated by INEC staff to deny him of victory, "We had issues of cancellations in polling units where they know that I won, there were issues of over voting against BIVAS accreditations to favour the PDP candidate, all these are with my lawyers and am ready to defend the mandate which was given to me by the voters. Jabayang stated.

iolence, Bivas, m to a, people have bee defranchise they PDP connived with INEC, I told them but nothing, lamangoro, maigwei, over voting in somebpooling unit, where we are winning they cancel, where they are winning they dont, they convi inec to send of, am heading to court, we have started process yesterday, is an election I have won since, i seek my lawyers concept before i participate,my supporters should be steadfast, i will ever be on their side, and i will ever be with them, may God ,