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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The House of Representatives Election Petition Tribunal has annulled the election of Simon Atigwe, member representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu federal constituency, declaring Dennis Agbo of the Labour Party (LP) winner.
Atigwe, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was initially declared winner of the re-run election held on February 3, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to INEC, Atigwe secured 23,863 votes, surpassing Dennis Agbo of the LP, who garnered 23,226 votes.
However, Agbo, who had previously won the February 25, 2023 election before being unseated by the appellate court, challenged Atigwe’s victory in the re-run election at the tribunal.
Agbo’s petition alleged significant irregularities, including incorrect vote tallying and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
In a ruling delivered yesterday, the tribunal, led by Justice H. N. Kunaza found merit in Agbo’s petition.
The tribunal declared that the addition of 2,000 votes to Atigwe’s tally was invalid, nullifying the results that earlier favoured him.
The tribunal restored the original results from the February 25, 2023 election, which showed Agbo leading with 28,870 votes against Atigwe’s 14,229 votes.
Consequently, the tribunal ruled that Atigwe was not duly elected by valid votes and that the certificate of return issued to him should be withdrawn.
The court ordered that the certificate be issued to Agbo, affirming him as the duly elected representative of Igbo-Eze North/Udenu federal constituency.
