Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the representative for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, Imo State, in the House of Representatives, was duly elected, according to the Lagos division of the Appeal Court.
The tribunal’s decision to sack Ugochinyere was overturned by the Appeal Court bench headed by Justice Abubakar Babandi Gumel.
Since the Federal Constituency did not hold primaries, the election petition tribunal at Mararaba High Court determined that Ugochinyere’s PDP was not a candidate for the election.
In addition to ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to hold new elections in four wards between APC and LP candidates, the panel that rendered the decision on September 10th also directed INEC.
Nonetheless, the tribunal’s rulings were overturned by a unanimous decision rendered by Gumel on Wednesday.
Gumel determined that the petition qualified as a pre-election matter and that the tribunals had no jurisdiction over it.