13th September, 2023
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu, on Wednesday, ordered a re-run election to be conducted within 90 days in Enugu South Urban State Constituency.
The three-man tribunal panel led by Justice A. M. Abubakar nullified the victory of Labour Party (LP) Candidate, Mr Bright Ngene, as the State House of Assembly member representing Enugu South Urban State Constituency.
The tribunal stated that the judgment was on the grounds that the number of votes credited to the said winner of the elections was less than the number of disenfranchised voters in the constituency.
The panel noted that INEC was wrong to have declared Bright Ngene winner of the election and that INEC erred by not declaring a re-run election before declaring a candidate winner of the elections.
The lead justice further directed that the re-run election be conducted within ninety days (90) of the delivery of the judgement beginning from Sept. 13, 2023.
Mr Sam Ngene, a one-term state lawmaker, had challenged the declaration of Bright Ngene by INEC as the winner of the election on the grounds that the number of cancelled votes was more than the number of votes credited to the first respondent, Bright Ngene.
(NAN)