The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, Enugu Division, on Friday, has nullified the election victory of Prof. Sunday Nnamchi, the Labour Party’s candidate representing Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency in Enugu State.
The tribunal’s ruling came in response to a petition filed by Prince Cornelius Nnaji, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Nnamchi as the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.
A three-man panel of justices, led by A. M. Abubakar, declared Prince Cornelius Nnaji as the duly elected representative for the constituency, concurring with the petitioner’s argument that the Labour Party candidate was not qualified to contest the election.
Prince Nnaji, a one-term federal lawmaker, based his challenge on the contention that Nnamchi was not properly sponsored and qualified to run on the Labour Party’s platform.
The tribunal’s unanimous decision upheld the petitioner’s claims, stating that the Labour Party’s candidate lacked the necessary qualifications to compete in the election.
In the wake of this ruling, a congratulatory message has been extended to Senator Gabriel Suswam, who emerged victorious in the 2023 election for the Benue North East Senatorial District. Chief Samuel Ortom, a former governor of Benue State, commended the judiciary for upholding justice and democracy.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom praised Senator Suswam for pursuing legal avenues to seek justice and also congratulated the PDP in the state. The party’s leadership in Benue also hailed the tribunal for delivering justice based on evidence and facts.
Senator Suswam, representing the PDP, was declared the winner of the senatorial election held on February 25, 2023, after the tribunal, led by Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha, invalidated the votes for the All Progressive Congress’ Senator Emmanuel Udende. The tribunal found that Suswam and the PDP met the legal requirements to prove irregularities in the election, including mutilation, non-signing of documents, and non-inclusion of lawful votes.
As a result, the tribunal canceled 51,895 votes for Udende and 21,229 votes for Suswam, ultimately awarding Suswam 90,590 votes and Udende 82,699 votes.
It is worth noting that one of the three tribunal members held that the evidence provided by the former governor was insufficient to sustain his petition, leading to the dismissal of the petition and the awarding of costs of N100,000 to each of the respondents against the petitioners.
