Election petition: Tribunal upturns Ogah’s victory, declares Onyejocha winner.

Stephanie Derek, Umuahia

In what appears like a twist of fate for the Labour Party’s Amaobi Ogah, the national Assembly Election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia has pronounced Hon. Nkiru Onyejocha of the All Progressives Congress the duly elected candidate to represent Isiukwuato/Umunneochi constituency.

Onyejocha had filed a petition after the February, 2023 national Assembly Election that saw INEC declare Amaobi Ogah of the Labour party winner of the said election at the tribunal.

She relied on three major issues in her petition which included that: 1) Amaobi Ogah was not a duly registered member of the Labour party. 2) Amaobi Ogah did not participate in any primary election from where he emerged as the candidate and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which is a party in the petition did not monitor any such primary. 3) Amaobi Ogah did not secure the highest votes cast in the constituency.

The chairman of the three man panel, Adeyinka Aderigbegbe, upheld the petitioner’s prayers and used all her evidence and witnesses to decide the case.

While delivering the judgement, the chairman said the legal team of the first and second respondents failed to prove that Amaobi Ogah emerged through a primary monitored by INEC.

He said it was also obvious that the first respondent did not prove that he secured the highest number of votes cast and since the petitioner provided certified true copies of the election results from the polling units and wards, the panel did the collation wherein it became clear that her scores were reduced and those of Ogah inflated. He announced that after the collation, Nkiru Onyejocha truly got 11,936 votes while Amaobi Ogah got 9,788 votes as claimed by the petitioner.

For these reasons, the tribunal held that the petition succeeded and thereafter ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to withdraw the certificate of return from Amaobi Ogah of the Labour party and present same to Nkiru Onyejocha as the true winner of the election.

Meanwhile, the lead counsel to Onyejocha, Prof. Joshua said it was obvious his client had a good case and they were able to defend it

For his part, counsel to Ogah, Valentine Ofia said they would surely appeal the judgement and expressed hope the issues the tribunal relied on to give judgement would be addressed thoroughly there.

Recall the Nkiru Onyejocha had been in the House of Representatives for three terms and was sworn into office recently as the minister of Labour (state).