Enugu State gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, LP Chijioke Edeoga has filed a petition at the state’s election petition tribunal.
Edeoga is challenging the declaration of Peter Mbah, who represented the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the March 18 Gubernatorial Election in the state.
He claimed that the election was compromised and was not a reflection of the will of the electorates as well as an allegation that Mbah was not qualified to contest the election as he presented a forged National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Certificate with Certificate Number A808297.
In his petition submitted to the tribunal, Edoga, along with the LP served as the plaintiffs and listed INEC, Mbah, and PDP as respondents.
Following controversial results from Nkanu East Local Government Area, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mbah as the winner of the election, having polled 160,895 votes against Edoga’s 157,552 votes.
As a result of the alleged forgery, Edeoga claims that INEC’s declaration of Mbah as the winner of the election was therefore invalid by reason of non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022, and that he was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election.
PDP’s Mbah and the Independent National Electoral Commission are yet to respond to the filed petition by Labour Party’s Edeoga.
The 2023 General and Gubernatorial Elections have been marred by allegations of manipulation and voter suppression by various political parties.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged all aggrieved parties to seek redress in court whilst admonishing the judiciary to carry out their duties diligently.
