The House of Representatives Tribunal on Wednesday removed Honourable Simon Atigwe, the representative of the Igbo Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency in Enugu State. The tribunal declared the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dennis Agbo, as the rightful winner of the February 3rd, 2024 rerun election.
Agbo, who originally won the seat during the 2023 general elections, had his victory nullified by the Court of Appeal, which ordered a rerun in ten polling units. Agbo’s legal team argued that the rerun was marred by significant discrepancies, including the wrong computation of results and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
On Wednesday, August 14th, the Tribunal, led by Justice H.N. Kunaza, ruled that the petition held merit. The panel declared Agbo the true winner of the Igbo Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, stating, “The 2,000 votes added to the PDP candidate are hereby declared invalid, null, and void.”
The tribunal’s decision effectively restores the original vote counts from February 25th, 2023, where Agbo received 28,870 votes compared to Atigwe’s 14,229.
This verdict marks a significant victory for the Labour Party in Enugu State and is likely to influence future political dynamics in the region. Speaking on the ruling, a Labour Party spokesperson remarked, “This decision reaffirms our belief in the judiciary as the guardian of democracy, ensuring that the will of the people is upheld.”
By Gabriel Ani
