The Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State of Nigeria in a unanimous judgement on Monday annulled the election of the Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, and ordered for a fresh election within the next three months. In the interim, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly is to take over while candidates prepare for the fresh polls.

 

 

Counsel to the appellants in the appeal, Okoi Obono-Obla said: "We have liberated Cross River State from the hands of the political jobbers and buccaneers who used guile, chicanery and electoral roguery to seize the machinery of government. Votes were merely allocated.

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The inspection of electoral materials carried out by the Petitioners shows that only 33,000 people were duly accredited but Imoke was allocated more than 800,000, which were more than the total number of registered voters in Cross River State. We won the petition, but the Tribunal did not have the courage to annul the election after overwhelming evidence that there was no election in Cross River State on April 14, 2007. The people of Cross River State shall come together and discuss on the way forward. The struggle continues."