The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, has sacked three House of Representatives members elected on the platform of the Labour Party.
A panel of the tribunal led by Justice Adeyinka Aderebgbe, had sacked the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency, Mr Ibe Okwara Osonwa, for non compliance with the electoral act 2022, in a petition filled by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election chief Daniel Okeke.
The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Osunwa and issue a new one to Okeke.
Another panel led by Justice Hajaratu Hajjo Lawa, nullified the election of Munachim Alozie, representing Obingwa/Osisioma Ngwa/Ugwunagbo federal Constituency of Abia State in the House of Representatives.
The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a rerun in some wards if Osisioma Ngwa council within the next 90 days.
The tribunal ruled that the declaration of the LP candidate, Alozie, was in error and cannot stand.
Delivering the judgement on behalf of the three man tribunal, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, said the number of lead is more than the number of voters who were disenfranchised in some polling units who collected their Permanent Voters Cards.
Candidate of the Young Progressives Party,YPP, Ibe Michael Nwoke, had filed the petition after the candidate of the Labour Party was declared winner of the February 25th elections.
Nwoke prayed the court to among other things nullify the election as Alozie was not duly elected and his election invalid based on the margin of lead.
In a similar development, another panel of tribunal nullified the election of the member representing Aba North/ Aba South Federal Constituency Mr Emeka Nnamani, for certificate forgery.
The tribunal declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ,APGA, in the election, Chief Alex Ikwecheghi, as the winner of the election and ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Nnamani and Issue a new one to Ikwecheghi.
Source: Punch
