The Abuja Court of Appeal has overturned the verdict of the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal in Asaba, Delta State.
The tribunal had previously declared Ndudi Elumelu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the 2023 election for the Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency in Delta State.
However, in a recent judgment, the Court of Appeal affirmed Ngozi Okolie, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), as the legitimate elected representative for the constituency.
During the election, Kenneth Ibe, the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced that Okolie received 53,879 votes, surpassing Elumelu, who secured 33,456 votes.
Elumelu contested the results by filing a petition with the tribunal, arguing that the LP did not properly sponsor Okolie since he was not a party member as of May 28, 2022, when the party’s primary election was conducted.
The tribunal, headed by A.Z. Mussa, agreed with Elumelu’s argument and disqualified Okolie.
However, the Court of Appeal criticized the tribunal’s decision to void Okolie’s election.
The appellate court supported Mahmud Magaji, the LP’s counsel, in asserting that Okolie had been legitimately nominated and sponsored by his party.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal clarified that Okolie had resigned from his position as a senior special assistant (SSA) in the Delta state government, as mandated by the constitution before the election.
KanyiDaily recalls that the election petition tribunal in Lokoja has also declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the Kogi central senatorial district election.
