Abia: Tribunal Sacks Three LP Reps, Orders Rerun In One Constituency

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia has sacked three House of Representatives members elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).
A panel of the tribunal led by Justice Adeyinka Aderegbe, had sacked the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Mr Ibe Osonwa, for non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, in a petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, Chief Daniel Okeke.
The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Osonwa 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 INEC to conduct a rerun in some wards of Osisioma Ngwa council area within the next 90 days.
The tribunal ruled that the declaration of the LP candidate, Alozie, was in error and could not stand.
Delivering the judgment on behalf of the three- man tribunal, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, said the margin of lead was 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 election.
Nwoke prayed the court to, among other things, nullify the election as Alozie was not duly elected based on the margin of lead.
In a similar development, another panel of the 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.