Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Fed.Constituency: Appeal Court upholds Onwuegbu as the rightful winner

Finally, Engr(Dr) Anayo Onwuegbu of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)is the authentic winner and duly elected candidate to represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency in the 10 th National Assembly.

Hon Chijioke Stanislaus Okereke of the Labour Party(LP) who had spent barely five months on the seat will quit the stage for Dr Anayo Onwuegbu.

Dr Onwuegbu’s emergence as the authentic federal legislator of Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Constituency,stems on the re affirmation of his candidature as the winner of February 25th, National assembly election for represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency.

The Court of appeal sitting in Lagos on Monday, November 6, upheld the earlier judgement delivered by the National Assembly Election petition tribunal in Enugu,which declared Onwuegbu as the actual winner of the election and asked INEC to issue him with Certificate of Returns.

Though INEC declared Engr. Stanislaus Chijioke Okereke of Labour party as the winner of the election,consequent upon which he was sworn in at the National Assembly, but the tribunal while granting the petition of Engr.Anayo Onwuegbu against Hon Okereke,declared the latter(Okereke)as a ‘stranger’ to that election.

Not satisfied with the judgement of the tribunal delivered on September 8th,Hon Okereke went to Appeal Court.

The Cour of Appeal in a judgement delivered by the three-man panel led by Justice Nusirat I. Umar upheld the tribunal judgement which declared Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu, the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, as the duly elected candidate of the February 25th, 2023 election.

Engr. Onwuegbu proved at the tribunal beyond reasonable doubt that Engr. Okereke was not the actual Labour Party candidate who started the context with him but Hon. Toby Okechukwu,whom he defeated at the PDP primaries in his quest to return to the National Assembly for a fourth term.

The tribunal found out that Hon Toby Okechukwu’s name was published on he INEC list for the electoon and also written on the result sheet as the candidate of the Labour Party .Based on which the tribunal described Engr.Okereke as a stranger in the election

However, it was gathered that Okereke approached a Federal High Court in Enugu to claim the ticket of the Labour Party and a judgement was given in his favour after Hon.Toby Okechukwu clarified that he is not a member of the Labour Party.

Going by the Court of Appeal l judgement yesterday, the tussle for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal constituency legislator in the 10th National Assembly, which raised serious dust during the various party primaries over arguments on zoning, is now dusted.
Oji River local government area which argued vehemently that it is their turn to produce the Federal legislator for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Fed.Constiuency is still occupying the position at long last.

The political dynamism of change of baton from Hon Engr. Okereke to Engr. Dr Anayo Onwuegbu is a mere transplant from LP to PDP.Both Dr Onwuegbu and Engr. Okereke hails from Oji River local government area.

end.

Pix…..Dr Anayo Onwuegbu.