Court sacks Labour Party rep, Ogah declares Onyejiocha winner

The National Assembly election petition tribunal in Umuahia, Abia State, has invalidated the election of Hon Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party (LP) and declared the present Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, as the victor of the Isiukwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency polls.

The tribunal’s decision rested on its determination that Ogah’s emergence and victory did not conform to the provisions of the Electoral Act. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had initially declared Amobi Ogah as the winner of the Isiukwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency election with 11,769 votes, while Onyejiocha was reported to have garnered 8,752 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome, Onyejeocha filed a petition before the National Assembly election petition tribunal, presenting seven reliefs in her challenge of Ogah’s election.

Delivering its judgment on Wednesday in Umuahia, the three-member panel emphasized that Ogah’s candidacy under the LP did not meet the Electoral Act’s stipulations. The tribunal noted that there was no evidence of a 21-day notice given to INEC before the conduct of the primary election, and there was no concrete proof of the primary election date. The tribunal also cited the LP’s assertion that primary elections were an internal party affair.

Addressing the argument that Onyejeocha’s acceptance of a ministerial appointment amounted to her abandonment of the petition, the tribunal dismissed this claim, stating that Section 66, which prohibits a person from being a member of two arms of government, did not apply to her situation, as she was not a lawmaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Furthermore, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner’s assertion that there were instances of over-voting in certain electoral units in favor of Amobi Ogah and the LP, while Onyejiocha’s actual votes were not properly declared by INEC. After correcting the alleged inflated figures, the tribunal declared Onyejiocha the winner with 11,976 votes, while Amobi Ogah received 9,736 votes.

Notably, Amobi Ogah is the younger brother of Uche Ogah, a former minister of state for mines and steel development. This decision marks a significant turn of events in the Isiukwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency election and may have far-reaching implications for the political landscape in the region.