The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has nullified the election of Stainless Nwodo, the representative for the Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani federal constituency of Enugu in the House of Representatives.
The appellate court’s ruling, delivered via Zoom on Monday, declared that Rt. Hon. Martins Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as the rightful winner of the February election.
This decision comes after a series of legal battles.
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Initially, the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Enugu had, on September 8, upheld Nwodo’s election as a candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
However, Oke, the PDP candidate, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Samuel Ekwueme, had challenged Nwodo’s victory at the tribunal, alleging certificate forgery and election irregularities.
Despite the tribunal’s earlier dismissal of their petitions, the PDP and APC candidates persisted in their efforts and took the matter to the Court of Appeal, arguing that Nwodo was not qualified to run for the election.
In a judgment delivered via Zoom on Monday, the appellate court concurred with their argument, stating that the Labour Party candidate was indeed not qualified to stand for the election.
The panel has promised to provide more detailed information regarding the ruling at a later date. This development marks a significant shift in the political landscape of the Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani federal constituency of Enugu.