.jpeg "Amobi Ogah, a member of the Abia LP Reps, is dismissed by the tribunal")
According to the tribunal's decision, the ascension and triumph of Ogah were found to be in violation of the provisions outlined in the Electoral Act.
The Labour Party candidate, Amobi Ogah, was declared the winner of the Isiukwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ogah garnered a total of 11,769 votes, while Onyejiocha received 8,752 votes, according to the commission's announcement.
Expressing discontent with the outcome, Onyejeocha lodged a petition with the National Assembly election petition tribunal, in an effort to invalidate Ogah's election.
The petitioner's document encompassed a total of seven reliefs.
In the case with reference number EPT/AB/HR/8/2023, the three-member panel pronounced its ruling on Wednesday in Umuahia.
The panel concluded that the selection of Ogah as the candidate for the Labour Party (LP) did not adhere to the stipulations outlined in the Electoral Act.
As per the judgement, the manner in which a political party sponsors a candidate is a subject that pertains to both pre and post-election periods.
It has been observed that there is a lack of evidence indicating that the respondents sent a 21-day notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to conducting their primary election.
The presentation of a specific date for the primaries was not provided to us, nor was any evidence of the occurrence of primaries.
The third respondent consistently maintains that the matter pertains solely to the internal affairs of the Party.
The court determined that the petitioner's calculations were accurate, but the calculations made by the 1st respondent were deemed invalid.
Ogah's contention was that Onyejeocha's acceptance of the ministerial job indicated her renunciation of her petition.
Nevertheless, the panel, in its verdict, rejected the lawmaker's submission.
The court concluded that section 66 does not apply to this particular scenario due to the fact that the petitioner is not a legislator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The forbidden circumstance, as outlined by the legislation, pertains to an individual simultaneously holding membership in two branches of government.
The tribunal concurred with the petitioner's assertion that certain electoral units exhibited instances of overvoting in favor of Amobi Ogah and his political party, the LP, while the legitimate votes cast for the petitioner were not duly acknowledged by INEC.
Following the deduction of the purportedly exaggerated numbers, the tribunal declared that Onyejiocha obtained a total of 11,976 votes, whereas Amobi Ogah secured 9,736 votes.
Amobi Ogah is the sibling of Uche Ogah, a former minister of state for mines and steel development.