The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which is based in Enugu, would rule on petitions contesting the proclamation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Peter Mbah as the winner of the 2023 governorship election.
Visitodell reports that the Labour Party’s (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, is contesting Mbah’s victory.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Kudirat Morayo Akano stated on Tuesday that the ruling would begin at 9 a.m. today.
Edeoga and LP had gone to the tribunal to challenge the authenticity of Mbah’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had pronounced the election winner.
They further claimed that Mbah did not fulfill his statutory youth service responsibilities before taking office in 2003, and they questioned the legitimacy of the ballots cast during the election.
The petitioners accused the local governments of widespread electoral fraud and cheating, particularly in the Owo and Ugbawka wards of Nkanu East, Enugu East, and Udenu, where they claimed that computation errors lowered their votes.
During the hearing, however, there were robust legal debates and citations, with both sides presenting the tribunal with witnesses and evidence that were admitted as exhibits.
According to security sources, substantial security measures have been made by the various security services, led by the Police, to guarantee that there is no breakdown in law and order.
