The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reversed the controversial judgment delivered by the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal in Asaba on July 24. The tribunal had initially declared Ndudi Elumelu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the last election for the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in Delta State.
However, in a new legal development, the Court of Appeal has now ruled in two separate judgments that Ngozi Okolie of the Labour Party (LP) should be recognized as the rightful winner of the election.
The appellate court strongly criticized the Election Tribunal for nullifying Okolie’s victory and subsequently dismissed the petition that Elumelu had filed before the tribunal, leading to the overturned judgment.
The Court of Appeal supported the argument put forth by the Labour Party’s counsel, Mahmud Magaji. It affirmed that, contrary to the Election Tribunal’s findings, Okolie had indeed been validly nominated and sponsored by his party. Moreover, the court upheld that Okolie had resigned from his position as a Senior Special Assistant to the Delta State Government in accordance with the constitutional requirements.
Ngozi Okolie is now declared as the rightful representative of the constituency, marking a significant victory for the Labour Party in the state.
Anticipations suggest that both parties will react to this surprising turnaround.
Details to follow.