Appeal court resolves all Anambra senatorial election disputes
Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has resolved all disputes in the February 25, 2023 senatorial elections in Anambra State following its latest separate judgement, Friday, to dismiss the appeals filed by Hon Chris Azubogu, Chief Chris Uba and Dr Obinna Uzo challenging the Young Progressives Party (now in All Progressives Congress), candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
This is as the court upheld the decision of the Anambra State National Assembly Election Tribunal which had affirmed Ubah as winner of the election as duly elected to represent Anambra South senatorial zone at the National Assembly.
In a separate judgement of the Court of Appeal in Lagos, the candidate of the Labour Party for the Anambra Central senatorial zone, Chief Victor Umeh was reaffirmed winner of the election as it dismissed the appeal filed by Dozie Nwankwo of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) challenging the ruling of the state’s National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Awka.
The resolution now sees the Labour Party claiming two senatorial zones, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) taking control of the remaining one following the defection last month of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, formerly of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to the APC, barely five months after winning on the platform of the former.
Earlier, Thursday, the court reaffirmed the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the Anambra North senatorial election of February 25, 2023, Mr Tony Nwoye as winner of the exercise.
While delivering judgement, Thursday, to dismiss the appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mrs Stella Oduah, challenging Senator Nwoye’s victory, the court ruled that the former lacked the locus to challenge Nwoye’s membership of the Labour Party, adding also that only an aspirant in the LP’s primary election can challenge such issues.
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Awka, Anambra State, had earlier in its judgment given on September 6 dismissed Oduah and the PDP’s petitions challenging the victory of Nwoye and the Labour Party. The tribunal dismissed the petitions for a lack of merit.
However, not satisfied with the ruling of the tribunal, Oduah and the PDP filed appeals marked CA/AW/EP/SEN/AN/03/2023 and CA/AW/EP/SEN/AN/04/2023 as the Court of Appeal.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nwoye secured 94,779 votes while Oduah had 50,146 votes.
Oduah, a former aviation minister, represented Anambra North for eight years.
Late last month in October, the Appeal Court sitting in Lagos reserved judgment in the appeals filed by Oduah and the PDP.
The three-member panel of justices adjourned for judgment after taking arguments from counsel for the parties.
