Justice A.Z. Mussa has rendered a significant decision in the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, Delta State. The election of Ngozi Okolie from the Labour Party (LP), who was previously declared the winner of the House of Representatives election for Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency, has been nullified.
The petition challenging Okolie’s victory was filed by Ndidi Elumelu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who argued that Okolie’s candidacy was flawed. Elumelu contended that Okolie was not properly sponsored by the Labour Party and had not resigned from his public office before running for the election.
The three-member tribunal panel, led by Justice A.Z. Mussa, ruled in favor of the petitioner, stating that Okolie’s disqualification was valid. The court found that Okolie was not a member of the Labour Party at the time of their primary on May 28, 2022, and thus, his candidacy was not legitimate. Additionally, it was established that Okolie did not meet the requirement of resigning from his public office before contesting the election.
Following the tribunal’s decision, Ndidi Elumelu has been declared the winner of the election and will now represent the people of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the lower chamber.
The petitioner’s counsel, Andrew Osemenem, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, highlighting that their case was based on the issue of Okolie’s qualification. The court agreed with their argument, acknowledging the absence of legitimate primaries and proper sponsorship by the Labour Party for the National Assembly Election.
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