Tribunal upholds Gov Nwifuru’s election in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday upheld Governor Francis Nwifuru’s victory in the March 18 election in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 20 declared Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ifeanyi Odii, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) flag bearer, Prof. Benard Odoh, and 15 others.

Odii, however, challenged the outcome of the election over alleged fraud and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the exercise by INEC.

READ ALSO: Ebonyi tribunal reserves judgement in petition challenging Gov Nwifuru’s election

He also claimed that Nwifuru was illegally nominated by the APC because he was still a member of the PDP as a Speaker of the House of Assembly when he was nominated by the ruling party.

At Wednesday’s proceeding, the three-member panel headed by Justice Lekan Ogunmoye dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

The tribunal held that the petitioner lacked the locus standi to institute the action because the issue raised in the petition was an internal affair of the APC.

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