Tribunal Sacks Three Labour Party Lawmakers In Abia State

Three members of the House of Representatives from Abia State, elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) have been sacked by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

Naija News understands the three lawmakers were sacked on Monday based on tribunal rulings on different petitions against their election victory.

The lawmaker representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Ibe Okwara Osunwa was sacked by the tribunal panel headed by Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe for non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act.

He was sacked based on a petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election, Daniel Okeke.

The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Osunwa and issue a new one to Okeke.

In a similar development, another panel led by Justice Hajaratu Hajjo Lawa nullified the election of Munachim Alozie, representing Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency, and also ordered a rerun within the next 90 days.

Alozie according to the tribunal verdict was declared in error as the winner of the election.

Prof. Muhammad Mahmud who read out the judgment on behalf of the three-man panel headed by Lawal, said the number of leads is more than the number of voters who were disenfranchised in some polling units who collected their Permanent Voters Cards.

The ruling was based on the petition filed by the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Ibe Michael Nwoke.

Nwoke prayed the court to among other things nullify the election of LP’s Alozie as he was not duly elected and his election was invalid based on the margin of lead.

In a third instance, another tribunal also sacked the Labour Party Member Representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, Emeka Nnamani, over the forgery of his academic certificate.

The tribunal declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the election, Alex Ikwueche as the winner of the election and ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Nnamani and issue a new one to Ikwueche.