ENUGU: Labour Party claims tribunal collided with INEC to pervert justice for Gov Mbah

The Julious Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party, on Wednesday, criticised the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal for its ruling which affirmed the victory of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party, at the recently-concluded elections.

National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, made this assertion at a Press Conference in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Ifoh claimed that in order to declare the PDP the winner, the tribunal disregarded the documentary proof of wrongdoing and election fraud presented by its candidate.

He also expressed the party’s disappointment that while the Lanour Party was coasting to victory, it was denied due to allegations that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, colluded with the tribunal to pervert justice, even though its case shared similarities with the one filed by the PDP in Nasarawa State.

He said, “The Labour Party candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, was cruising to victory with the results of the election declared in 16 out of 17 LGAs of the state when the PDP colluded with INEC to manufacture 30,000 plus votes for Mbah in the remaining Nkanu East LGA, even when only about 15,000 voters were accredited to vote in that home LGA of Mbah.

“The INEC returning officer for the state, Prof Maduebibisi Iwe, rejected the figures from Nkanu East because the BVAS was discarded, prompting the INEC headquarters to invite him to Abuja.

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“After three days, an Abuja INEC panel led by Festus Okoye reduced the total 33,000 plus votes illegally hurled from Nkanu East alone to about 19,000, but gave Mbah almost 17,000 votes to enable him beat LP’s Edeoga (who was leading with 11,000+ votes) with 3,000+ votes.

“It was essentially the above clear cases of over-voting in Nkanu East LGA, especially in Owo and Ugbawka, that prompted the Labour Party and its candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, to approach the Tribunal in the hope that the judiciary will review and correct that anomaly.”

The Labour Party spokesman further said, “Notwithstanding the above true position, the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal on Saturday, 21st September, 2023 shockingly delivered a judgment on the disputed election that appeared to have ignored the facts in issue.

“The judgment fell short of the expectations of both the majority of Nigerians and legal pundits who have continued to criticize the fundamental logic and the premise upon which the decision was reached.”

A three-member panel of the tribunal led by Justice Kudirat Murayo had dismissed the petitions of the Labour Party and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, insisting that they failed to prove claims contained in their petition.

Edeoga had in his petition, challenged the return of Mbah as the duly elected governor of Enugu state on the grounds that he submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate, and that the PDP engaged in electoral fraud especially over voting.

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