The Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Enugu has affirmed the victory of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023, throwing out the suits against him.
The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, and Chris Agu of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) had filed a petition with the tribunal challenging the election outcome. They alleged that Peter Mbah was ineligible to contest the election due to an alleged forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and cited instances of over-voting in Udenu, Nkanu East, and Enugu East local government areas as grounds for their challenge.
In its verdict, the tribunal, presided over by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano, dismissed all the grounds of the petition. It ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate is not a prerequisite for running for the office of the governor, and there was no evidence of the NYSC certificate being attached to the documents the governor submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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In the judgment, the tribunal addressed various claims made by the LP candidate:
Wrong Computation of Results in Udenu Local Government: The panel ruled that the petitioner, Chijioke Edeoga, failed to substantiate this claim. It noted that the witnesses called by Edeoga provided identical testimonies for different polling units and wards in various local governments, undermining their credibility.
Additionally, the panel stated that the LP’s witnesses were not properly accredited agents according to INEC’s regulations, rendering their testimony invalid. The tribunal deducted 51 votes from the PDP and added them to the LP based on the testimony of witnesses from the correct agents in three polling units. However, the panel determined that this deduction was insufficient to overturn Peter Mbah’s election.
Amagu Polling Unit in Nkanu East: The panel canceled the votes for all parties in the Amagu polling unit in Nkanu East because the witness (PW10) provided evidence that he was present and the right person.
Remaining 11 Polling Units: The tribunal found that the witnesses in the remaining 11 polling units did not sign the result sheets, and they were unable to prove their status as party agents. Consequently, their testimony was disregarded.
After addressing these issues and evaluating the evidence, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lack of merit.
Reacting to the ruling, Governor Mbah said it was a victory for the people of Enugu State.
“It is a victory for Ndi Enugu. It is also a victory for democracy,” the governor said. “It is a victory for massive development for Ndi Enugu. It is a victory for exponential growth, it is a victory for Enugu’s greatness.”