By Stanley Nwanosike
The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Enugu, on Friday, upheld the election of Hon. Stainless Nwodo as the duly elected member representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
Chief. Martins Oke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Samuel Ekwueme, had challenged the election victory of Nwodo at the tribunal.
The PDP candidate challenged the qualification of Nwodo, while the APC candidate alleged irregularities in the election that INEC declared Nwodo winner.
The panel, led by Justice Nusirat Umar, dismissed both petitions accordingly.
On the petition by the PDP candidate, Justice Umar ruled that the petitioner failed to prove the case of forgery against the respondents, pointing out that there was a contradiction in the letter from Enugu State Examination Development Centre (EDC).
The Judge ruled that no witness came from EDC to testify against the certificate and said that the issue of inconsistencies in the name couldn’t be proved by the petitioners.
The panel, thereafter, dismissed the petition for lack of merit.
On the petition by the APC, which is hinged on the membership of the winner to the Labour Party and irregularities during the election, the panel ruled that the petitioner could not prove any of his allegations and dismissed same as being incompetent and lacking in merit.
Speaking to his supporters in Enugu, Nwodo thanked the justices for “standing on the path of justice” and assured his constituents of his commitment to serve them better.
He said: “I am glad that the audacious mandate given to me by my people against the tide has been upheld by the panel.
“Our people made a bold statement on the 25th of February and I’m not unaware of their great expectations. I’m assuring them that we’re already on track to making our Constituency better than we met it.” (NAN)
