JUST IN: Labour Party Loses Again To APC As Tribunal Nullifies Ogah’s Election, Declares Onyejeocha Winner (DETAILS)
The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal convened in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, has invalidated the election of Hon. Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party, who represented the Isiukwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency.
Pronouncing the judgement on Wednesday in Umuahia, the three-member panel of the tribunal stated that Ogah failed to adhere to the stipulations of the Electoral Act.
“The process of a candidate’s endorsement by a political party pertains to both pre and post-election matters. There is no evidence of the respondent providing 21 days’ notice to INEC before conducting their primary election. No date of the primaries was presented to us, and there is no evidence of primaries. The 3rd respondent consistently maintains that it is an internal matter of the party,” the tribunal stated.
“We have scrutinized and confirmed that the results presented by the petitioner are accurate, while the results submitted by the 1st respondent are disregarded.”
Ogah contended that Onyejeocha accepting the ministerial appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria indicated she had abandoned her petition. However, the tribunal, in its verdict, dismissed the legislator’s argument.
“We are of the opinion that section 66 is not relevant to this situation, as the petitioner is not a Lawmaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The scenario prohibited by law is an individual holding membership in two arms of government,” ruled the court.
On February 28, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Ogah the winner of the Isiukwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency election, garnering a total of 11,769 votes. In contrast, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the current Minister of State for Labour and Employment, received 8,752 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Onyejeocha lodged a petition before the tribunal, seeking the annulment of Ogah’s election in seven distinct claims outlined in her petition.
