The Imo Sate National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, on Sunday, sacked member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a unanimous decision on Sunday, a three-member panel of the tribunal which conducted its proceedings in Nasarawa State, held that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election that held on February 25.
Consequently, it ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to within 90 days, conduct a supplementary election in the constituency in 55 polling units where elections did not hold on February 25.
It held that the PDP and its candidate should be excluded from the supplementary election.
The judgement followed a petition that was lodged before the tribunal by candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Abazu Chika Benson.
Benson had argued that Ugochinyere was not qualified to participate in the House of Reps contest aa the primary election that produced him was conducted in a venue that was outside the constituency.
In its judgement, the tribunal stressed that documentary and oral evidence that was laid before it, established that the primary election the PDP conducted on May 25, 2022, which produced Ugochinyere as its candidate, was held at Aladinma Shopping Mall, a location that was outside Ideato North/South Federal Constituency.
More so, the tribunal held that owing to the principle of margin of lead, candidate of the LP, Obi Chigozie, who came second, could but be declared the winner of the seat, since INEC admitted that it could not hold election in 55 polling units in the constituency, owing to activities of unknown gunmen.
It, therefore, directed INEC to conduct supplementary poll in the remaining polling units with a the parties participating, except the PDP.
Other members of the panel that concurred with the lead judgement, were; Justices Usman Kudu and Ibrahim Mohammed.
