The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ndudi Elumelu, and declared Ngozi Okolie, the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP), the winner of the 2023 election for the Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency in Delta state.
The judgement of the national and state houses of assembly election tribunal in Asaba, Delta state’s capital, was overturned by the court of appeals on Thursday.
Although the judiciary first deemed Elumelu the winner, the appellate court has now confirmed Okolie as the legitimately elected lawmaker.
The previous Minority Leader of the House of Representatives has petitioned the tribunal, requesting that Okolie be disqualified.
Elumelu contended in his petition no. EPT/DL/HR/06/2023 that Okolie was not officially sponsored by LP and that he did not resign as a public officer.
Earlier that day, on July 24, instead of dismissing Okolie, who had won the election by a landslide, a three-man panel of Tribunal judges led by Justice A. Z. Mussa recognised Elumelu, who had finished a distant second, as the winner.
On August 28, the Court of Appeal in Asaba heard Honourable Okolie’s appeal against the Tribunal’s ruling declaring Elumelu the winner.
Okolie, on the other hand, criticised the tribunal’s decision to nullify her election, calling it illegal and lacking in legal foundation.
