National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu has voided the declaration of Hon. Bright Ngene of the Labour Party as the House of Assembly member representing Enugu South urban constituency.
Gatekeepers News reports that Sam Ngene, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had challenged the declaration of Bright Ngene by the electoral body as the winner of the election.
He argued in his petition that the number of cancelled votes was more than the number of votes credited to the first respondent, Bright Ngene and that the election ought to have been declared inconclusive and a re-run held to determine the actual winner.
The tribunal nullified the election on the grounds that the number of votes credited to the said winner of the election, was fewer than the number of disenfranchised voters in the constituency.
The tribunal also faulted the Independent National Election Commission for declaring Bright Ngene the winner of the election, adding that the election umpire should have declared the election inconclusive and gone for a re-run at the units where it didn’t conduct the election based on the margin of lead.
The tribunal directed INEC to conduct a re-run election be conducted in the constituency within 90 days of the delivery of the judgement given on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. to determine the actual winner of the election.
Bright Ngene is the latest Labour Party member representing Enugu to be sacked by Election Petition Tribunal.
On September 7, The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sacked Chijioke Okereke of the Labour Party (LP) as the House of Representatives member for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency.
Subsequently, Professor Sunday Nnamchi was removed as the House of Representatives member for the Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency in Enugu State by the Tribunal
On Tuesday, Sunday Umeha the lawmaker representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency of Enugu State, saw himself removed from the National Assembly by the Elections Petitions Tribunal
