Oju/Obi: Why tribunal sacked APGA Reps member, David Ogewu, declared PDP’s Samson Okwu winner

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has been ordered by the National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Mr David Ogewu of APGA for Samson Okwu of PDP, as the legitimate winner of the 2019 House of Representatives election for Oju/Obi constituency in Benue state.

The Tribunal Chairman, Justice A.A Adeleye gave the order Wednesday, while delivering judgement in the petition filed by Mr. Okwu against the election of Mr Ogewu, where he declared that the petitioner won the election with a margin of nine hundred and ninety four votes cast from the two Local Government Areas.

Justice Adeleye faulted the decision of INEC which declared Mr Ogewu the winner, without including result for Obi Local Government Area in the final collation.

According to Justice Adeleye, the margin of win, which the APGA candidate secured over the petitioner in Oju, was inconsequential hence the total number of registered voters from Obi which is 59, 411 far exceeded Mr Ogewu’s earlier margin of lead.

He pointed out that the declaration of Mr Ogewu as the winner of the Federal Constituency’s election based on only the result for Oju, where he scored 12, 794 votes against Mr Okwu’s 6, 797 votes was invalid hence he did not secure majority of the lawful votes cast from the two Local Government Areas that made up the Federal constituency.