By Our Correspondent
The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu dismissed the petition by Sen. Chimaroke Nnamani of PDP, challenging the victory of Sen. Kelvin Chukwu of the Labour Party (LP),
Justice Nusirat I. Umar, leading the three-member panel, held that Chukwu, who replaced his brother Oyibo, was duly elected to represent Enugu East Senatorial District.
LP fielded Kelvin to replace Oyibo, brutally assassinated a few days before the election.
Nnamani represented Enugu East Senatorial District in the 9th Assembly under the platform of PDP.
Despite winning the PDP’s ticket to recontest the senatorial seat in the Feb. 25 elections, the petitioner declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC against his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Nnamani was the former Enugu State governor between 1999 and 2007.
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INEC had declared Chukwu the winner of the Senatorial District poll after scoring 69,000 votes to defeat Nnamani, who polled a total of 49,000 votes.
But Nnamani challenged the election on grounds that irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral guidelines marred the election.
The founder of Ebeano political family, Nnamani urged Tribunal to declare him rightful winner of the election. Alternatively, he pryaed that Tribunal invalidate the results of the polls.
But delivering its ruling, Justice Umar dismissed the petition. She also awarded N500,000 cost against the petitioner in favour of the respondents – Kelvin Chukwu, LP and INEC.
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