By Austin Ogwuda
Below is the summary of proceedings on Thursday at the Court of Appeal Abuja Judicial Division in Ndudi Elumelu of People’s Democratic Party PDP and Ngozi Okolie of Labour Party, LP election matter.
The lordships of the Appellate Court allowed the two Appeals filed by the Labour Party and its Candidate, Honourable Ngozi Okolie.
*The Labour Party Appeal filed and argued by its Lead Counsel, Mahmud Magaji, SAN, to the effect that PDP and its Candidate, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, had no business filing a Petition to challenge the conduct of the Labour Party Primaries by which the Party elected its Flag bearer, Hon. Ngozi Okolie as the Candidate of the Party.
*The Justices equally allowed the Appeal filed and argued on behalf of Honourable Ngozi Okolie by his Lead Counsel, Chike George Onyemenam, SAN, to the effect that the Petitioners did not lead any evidence, let alone, credible evidence, to make out a prima facie case to the effect that Hon. Ngozi Okolie was not qualified to contest the Election.
Finally, the Appellate Court further held that Hon. Ngozi Okolie was qualified to contest the Election and having contested and defeated Hon. Ndudi Elumelu with a margin of over 20 Thousand votes, the trial Tribunal was wrong to have nullified Okolie’s election and handed over victory to Elumelu contrary to the clear mandate given to Okolie by the voters of Aniocha/ Oshimili Federal Constituency.
It has been jubilation galore in Asaba and other parts of the Constituency by people across political divide over the victory.
