Chidoka loses House of Reps’ bid at tribunal

0

Hon. Obinna Chidoka

Obinna Chidoka, younger brother to a former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidioka, on Wednesday lost his reelection bid to the House of Representatives at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka Anambra State.

Hon. Obinna Chidoka
Hon. Obinna Chidoka

He was the member representing Idemili North/South Federal Constituency before the February 23 General Elections.

The tribunal upheld the election of the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the February poll for Idemili North/ South Federal Constituency, Ifeanyi Ibezi.

Chidoka of the People Democratic Party had dragged Ibezi before the tribunal seeking the nullification of his victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He alleged that there was multiple voting in the poll as well as noncompliance to the Electoral Act.

ALSO READ  Simon Ekpa mocks Obiano over arrest

He further contended that INEC ought not to have conducted the supplementary election that produced the APGA candidate after the first ballot that he allegedly won.

Delivering judgment, the tribunal led by Justice AO Onovo said the petitioner was unable to prove that the results he presented before the tribunal was generated during the poll.

It stated that the petitioner could not identify  the source of the results.

It maintained that  INEC had  the powers under extant laws to conduct supplementary polls, where an election was inconclusive.

The tribunal noted that since the petitioner could not establish where he got the results presented before it, that it was not the duty of the tribunal to go into a voyage of discovery to find the sources of the results.

ALSO READ  Red Cross seeks assistance for flood victims in Edo

“Having failed woefully to establish your case beyond reasonable doubt for the tribunal to nullify the election, we hereby dismiss the petition and uphold the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission,” the tribunal stated.

What are your thoughts?

Discover more from Odogwu Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading