Appeal Court Sacks Senate Minority Whip, Declares PDP’s Akobundu Winner 

The Court of Appeal has declared a former National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd) as the rightful winner of Abia Central Senatorial District.
The verdict which effectively sacks the Minority Whip of the 10th Senate, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, from the National Assembly was delivered last Saturday in Lagos.
In a statement on its X (formerly Twitter) platform, the PDP wrote: “The former National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, @officialPDP Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd), has just been declared by the Appeal Court as the rightful winner of Abia Central Senatorial District of Abia State.
“Senator Austin Akobundu, Abia Central and Senator Osita Ngwu, Enugu West, are the two senators of the PDP extraction from the South-East region at the National Assembly.”
Reacting to the judgment, Col. Akobundu (retd.), described his victory at the appellate court as a victory for the people.
Akobundu, who spoke through his Special Aide, Uche Nwosu, said the people of the senatorial district had won.
According to him, the victory is a triumph for all lovers of democracy.
He commended the people for standing behind him and thanked the judiciary for the judgment.
Dedicating the victory to God, the former Minister of State for Defense, reiterated his determination to serve the people.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has dismissed the appeal brought by Anthony Agbazuere, a candidate of the PDP, against Labour Party’s (LP) House of Representatives member, Ginger Onwusibe.
The court upheld Onwusibe’s victory in the February 25 National Assembly poll and also agreed with the ruling of the tribunal, which had said that Agbazuere’s case lacked merit.
It, therefore, affirmed Onwusibe’s as the duly elected member for the Isiala Ngwa North/Isiala Ngwa South Federal Constituency of Abia State.