Court reaffirms election of Imo House of Reps member

The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital, has struck out the appeal seeking the removal of Hon. Mrs. Nkeriuka Onyejiocha, the member representing Isiuakwato/Umunneochi at the federal House of Representatives.

Onyejiocha, who is the Deputy Chief Whip in the lower chamber, is currently serving her third term in the green chamber and a candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 23 presidential and National Assembly election held in Abia state.

Recall that the Justice. A Adegbribe-led three-man panel of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that sat in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, had dismissed Mr. Jude Udeachara, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate’s petition for unable to prove that there were no elections in some parts of polling units including a polling unit in Abia state University, Uturu in Isiuakwato local government area of the state.

Dissatisfied with the tribunal ruling, the PDP candidate (Udeachara) filed an appeal in Imo state Division of the Appellate Court seeking to set aside the tribunal’s verdict which affirmed Nkeriuka Onyejiocha(Respondent), as the winner of the Isiuakwato/ Umunneochi federal constituency seat election conducted in February.

However, Justice I.G. Mbaba-led Appellate Court in Owerri, while delivering verdict during the weekend, aligned itself with the tribunal’s judgement.

It ruled that the Petitioner (Udeachara) failed to prove the grounds he sought in court, among others that, there was no election conducted in ABSU polling units.

The appellate court ruled that the judgement of the tribunal which affirmed Onyejiocha’s re-election stands and therefore, dismissed the Udeachara’s petition for lacking in merit.

Reacting to the judgement, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Publicity Secretary in Abia state, Comrade Benedict Godson, in an interview with newsmen, Monday, hailed the court’s judgement.

Godson eulogized Onyejiocha, describing the APC federal lawmaker, as a true Lioness who has made her mark in the political corridors of Nigeria and has left a golden touch where ever she goes.