The National Election Petition Tribunal in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, made the ruling on Wednesday, August 14, declaring Labour Party candidate Dennis Agbo the winner of the February rerun election.
The Tribunal, led by Justice H. N. Kunaza, found merit in Agbo’s petition, citing incorrect results computation and non-compliance with the Electoral Law 2022.
The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw Atigwe’s certificate of return and issue it to Agbo.
Atigwe, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was initially declared the winner of the rerun election with 23,863 votes, defeating Agbo, who received 23,226 votes. However, Agbo challenged the result, leading to the tribunal’s decision.
This outcome follows a previous court ruling in November 2023, which voided the initial election and ordered a rerun due to irregularities. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Oby Ajih, had challenged the initial result, citing the absence of her party’s logo on the INEC’s EC8A form.
This is coming one year and six months after the national assembly election was held across the country. The ruling has increased the number of Labour Party lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
