The Court of Appeal in Enugu has upheld the decision to remove the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representative, Hon. Simon Atigwe from his position in the House of Representatives, confirming the earlier judgment that deemed his election invalid by the Election Petition Tribunal.
The court officially validated the election of Hon. Dennis Nnamdi Agbo from the Labour Party (LP) as the winner of the re-run election conducted on February 3, 2024, for the Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency.
This ruling confirms Agbo’s victory and solidifies his position as the representative for the area. The re-run election was necessitated by previous disputes regarding the electoral process, and the court’s endorsement is seen as a crucial step in ensuring a fair and democratic representation for the constituents.
This ruling was delivered unanimously by the three-member panel, with the chairman, Justice Ekanem, reading the decision.
A lawyer for the Labour Party, Ifeanyi Ogenyi, corroborated this information in a post on Wednesday.
“Congratulations to the people of Igbo Eze North/Udenu Federal constituency.
“The wheel of justice turns slowly, but it grinds. Truth and justice have prevailed, no matter the wait. Dennis Agbo has prevailed!” Ogenyi wrote.
It could be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Atigwe as the victor of the re-run election.
However, Agbo, who initially secured victory in the election held on February 25, 2023, but was later removed from office by the appellate court, took his case to the tribunal to contest Atigwe’s declaration.
He ultimately succeeded in this challenge, also prevailing at the Appeal Court.
