Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi State, Prof Bernard Odoh yesterday asked the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abakaliki to disqualify the governor-elect, Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru over alleged certificate forgery and ineligibility to stand for the election.
Nwifuru who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner of the said election which held on 18th March by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Odoh, in his petition to the tribunal to nullify the said election and withdraw the certificate of return issued to him added that at the time of the election, Nwifuru was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and as such was not eligible to be sponsored for the election by the APC.
He averred that Nwifuru therefore was not qualified to contest the election to the office of the Governor of Ebony State as he belonged to two political parties, which he argued is unconstitutional.
Odoh therefore prayed the tribunal to nullify the said election to the office of the governor of Ebonyi State held on March 18, 2023.
He also urged the tribunal to order for a second election pursuant to section 179(3) and (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended into the office of the Governor of Ebonyi State.
Odoh further urged the tribunal to declare that the said fresh election should be held between the two candidates who scored the highest number of votes at the election held on the 18th of March 2023.
The APGA candidate also prayed the court for an order nullifying and/or setting aside the certificate of return issued by the INEC to Nwifuru.
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