Edeoga formally submits petition to Enugu Election Petition Tribunal
By Our Reporter
The labour Party (LP) candidate in the March 18 Governorship election in Enugu State, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga has formally submitted his petition at the Enugu State Elections Tribunal.
The petition obtained by Ikengaonline was filed by Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, and dated Thursday April 6th 2023.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party Peter Mbah were listed in the petition as 1st and 2nd Respondents respectively.
Edeoga, and the Labour Party who are the 1st and 2nd Petitioner’s, is seeking readdress over irregularities that characterised the election.Among the reliefs sought by the petitionioners were, that it be determined that the 1st Respondent (Peter Mbah) was not qualified to contest the election having forged NYSC discharge certificate.
The petitioners also asked, therefore that all votes cast for the PDP and it’s candidate at the election be declared a waste.
“That it be determined that upon the disqualification of the 2nd Respondent, the 1st petitioner has the majority of lawful votes cast and ought to be returned as winner of the said election.
“He having met all the requirements of 25 per cent of total votes cast in each of the, at least 2/3 of the 17 Local Government Areas of the state, ” the petitioners said.
The petitioners also sought the tribunal to deduct number of wrongful votes in the disputed polling units, adding that when that was done, the 1st petitioner has the majority of the lawful votes cast in the election, “having polled a total of 157,997 votes as against the 2nd Respondent, who polled 152,778 votes.
“Hence, he the (1st petitioner) ought and should be declared winner of the said election.
The petitioners further sought: An order invalidating the return of the 2nd Respondent as the winner of the Governorship election held on March 18 in Enugu State.
“An order withdrawing the certificate of Return issued by the 1st Respondent to the 2nd Respondent allegedly as the winner of the March 18 Election in Enugu State.
“An order directing the 1st Respondent to issue certificate of Return to the 1st petitioner as the winner of the said election.”
