THE Abia State National and State House of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal has sacked a House of Representatives member, Ibe Okwara Osonwa, of the Labour Party (LP).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared LP’s Okwara as the winner of the 2023 Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal constituency election .
The decision has now been upturned by the Tribunal, with the challenger, Daniel Chimezie Okeke of the All Progressives Congress (APC), declared the rightful winner of the polls conducted.
In the aftermath of INEC’s announcement of Osonwa as the winner of the polls, Daniel Okeke approached the Tribunal praying it nullifies the victory of Osonwa on the grounds that Osonwa fell short of the guidelines of the law.
In passing its verdict on Monday in the Abia state capital, Umuahia, the Tribunal leaned towards the argument of the challenger in the petition.
The three-member tribunal panel led by its Chairman, Justice Adeyinka Aderegbegbe, held that, indeed, Osonwa of the Labour Party ran afoul of the law.
The tribunal, therefore, declared the APC candidate winner of the February 25 national assembly election.
The Tribunal has also mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return it had issued to Osonwa of the LP and issue a new one to APC’s Daniel Okeke.
