Court orders election rerun in Banky W’s federal constituency

The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, convened at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos State, has nullified Thaddeus Attah’s election victory on the Labour Party ticket as the elected representative for Eti Osa Federal Constituency.

In a late-night verdict issued on Monday, the tribunal ruled that the elections in question were inconclusive. It directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize a supplementary election within 90 days in all polling units where voting did not take place.

Bankole Wellington, a Nigerian singer and actor popularly known as Banky W, who ran on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket and was declared the runner-up in the February 2023 election, as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, both filed petitions challenging the election results.

The initial election results had Atta declared the winner with 24,075 votes, while Banky W and Obanikoro received 18,668 and 16,901 votes, respectively.

Ibrahim Obanikoro, the APC candidate, confirmed the tribunal’s decision on his official Instagram handle, praising the judges for adhering to constitutional principles. He expressed optimism that justice was served and noted that “work starts now.”

Atta of the Labour Party also shared on his Instagram handle that he was not removed from office and emphasized that there was “No cause for alarm.” He clarified that the tribunal had ordered a re-run (supplementary election) in the 32 polling units where elections did not take place.

Banky W, in a post shared on his verified Instagram handle, wrote “It is possible. Still,” hinting at the possibility of a different outcome in the forthcoming supplementary election.