The Ebonyi State Election Petitions Tribunal is poised to deliver its judgment on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, following two petitions challenging the election of Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State. The tribunal, based in Abuja, will commence proceedings at 9 a.m.
Governor Nwifuru was declared the winner of the gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He secured victory by polling 199,131 votes across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, defeating his closest rival, Dr. Chukwuma Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 80,191 votes. Subsequently, INEC issued Governor Nwifuru a Certificate of Return, and he was sworn in as Governor on May 29, 2023.
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However, Dr. Odii and his party, the PDP, along with the second runners-up, Bernard Odoh, and his party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), contested the election results at the tribunal.
Dr. Odoh’s petition is centered on two key issues: certificate forgery and eligibility. He argues that Governor Nwifuru was not eligible to contest the election as he belonged to two political parties, which is unconstitutional. Additionally, he alleges that Governor Nwifuru submitted fake certificates to INEC. Dr. Odoh has urged the tribunal to nullify the election and order a fresh one.
In the other petition, the PDP and Dr. Odii have called for the withdrawal of the certificate of return issued to Governor Nwifuru. They maintain that he was not qualified to contest the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since he had not officially defected from the PDP. They also cite a court judgment affirming that Governor Nwifuru and other lawmakers who purportedly defected to the APC were still members of the PDP. The petitioners also allege non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022, and electoral malpractices.
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Governor Nwifuru has vehemently defended his eligibility, asserting that he resigned from the PDP while serving as Speaker and officially joined the APC before participating in the APC’s governorship primary election.
As the people of Ebonyi State await the tribunal’s ruling, many have called on the judiciary to uphold justice within the bounds of the law.
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