The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Chukwu winner of the Senate election for Enugu East District.

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The LP candidate had polled 69,136 votes to defeat Mr Nnamani, a former governor of Enugu State, who scored 48,701 votes.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the district, Adaku Ogbu-Aguocha came third with 8,548 votes.

But Mr Nnamani challenged the declaration of Mr Chukwu as a validly elected senator for the district.

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The former governor alleged that the election was marred by over-voting, irregularities, election malpractices and non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Law and election guidelines.

He urged the tribunal to declare him the winner of the election or declare as invalid the results of the exercise.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the tribunal upheld the victory of Mr Chukwu in the victory.

It awarded a cost of N500,000 against the petitioners in favour of three respondents, Mr Chukwu, the LP and INEC.

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The three-member panel of judges headed by Justice Nusirat Umar held that the petition was “vague, lacking in merit, incompetent, generic and mere academic exercise”.

Mr Nnamani served as governor of Enugu State between 1999 and 2007 under the platform of the PDP.

The former governor later served as the senator representing Enugu East District between 2007 and 2011. In 2019, he was reelected into the Red Chamber, but lost in the 2023 election to the LP candidate.

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Mr Nnamani would later announce his resignation from the PDP, shortly after the election because of “irreconcilable differences” with the national leadership of the party.

Meanwhile, Mr Chukwu, had earlier emerged the LP senatorial candidate after his elder brother, Oyibo Chukwu, the then candidate of the party was killed by hoodlums.

The deceased, a lawyer, was killed and burnt alongside his aide some days before the election.

Premium Times