Tribunal sacks House of Reps member, Ikenga Ugochinyere

The Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has delivered a significant blow to the political landscape by ousting sitting House of Representatives member Ikenga Ugochinyere.

Ugochinyere, who contested the election under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been unseated by the tribunal, which cited his lack of qualification to participate in the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election.

The tribunal’s decision has sent shockwaves through the political sphere, ordering a supplementary election to be held within the state’s borders within the next 90 days. This development follows the tribunal’s resounding declaration that Ugochinyere was ineligible to vie for the coveted position.

Initially, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ugochinyere as the victor with a total of 13,026 votes. The Labour Party’s Obi Chigozie came in second place with 5,696 votes, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Abazu Benson, secured the third position with 2,368 votes.

Benson, the APC candidate, lodged a formal petition with the tribunal marked as EPT/IM/HR/10/2023, insisting on Ugochinyere’s disqualification from the race and asserting that all votes attributed to him were effectively wasted.

In his petition, Benson argued that the PDP violated the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 by conducting its primary election outside the constituency’s boundaries.

In a unanimous verdict delivered on Sunday, the three-member tribunal panel, which conducted its proceedings in Nasarawa State, firmly held that Ugochinyere had not been validly nominated by the PDP to run in the election.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Anthony Akpovi, issued a clear directive to the electoral body, instructing them to organize the supplementary election within the stipulated 90-day timeframe. Furthermore, the tribunal explicitly stated that the PDP and its candidate would be excluded from the upcoming supplementary election, further intensifying the political ramifications of this ruling.