I Didn’t Approach Tribunal Over My Electoral Loss- C’River Rep

A member of the House of Representatives from Cross River State who represents the Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwara Federal Constituency, Legor Idagbo has said that there was no time he authorised anyone to file a petition on his behalf at the elections petition tribunal in connection with the outcome of the February 25, 2023 election.

He has also said he could not have withdrawn a petition he did not file before the tribunal. In fact, he told TNN over the telephone on Tuesday that having earlier congratulated Mr Peter Akpanke of the PDP who was declared winner of the election, there was no way he could have challenged his victory at the tribunal.

Idagbo contested the election under the APC, but lost to Akpanke. He had congratulated the winner after the results were announced.

But a few days after, it emerged that Idagbo supposedly had filed a petition before the tribunal. And, on April 3, he was said to have filed a notice withdrawing the petition.

When TNN reached him, he said he was shocked to see on the internet that a petition had been filed in his name. He said it was possible that some people may have taken the initiative with the belief that he would key into it eventually.

He said he did not believe in tribunal processes and could not have gone there when he was not sure of what the outcome would be. He also said that one of the reasons for contesting the election in the first place was so that he could get a leadership position as a ranking member, if the south-south were to be given a slot in the leadership cadre of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

According to him, it would be of no use fighting at the tribunal when election into the leadership positions would have been over by the time a tribunal case would have been concluded. He said Akpanke was his friend and that he had wished him well a long time ago.