The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Enugu has upheld the election of Senator Kelvin Chukwu from the Labour Party, rejecting the petition filed by Senator Chimaroke Nnamani of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election outcome.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Nusirat I. Umar, delivered a unanimous judgment, affirming that Senator Kelvin Chukwu, who replaced his late brother Oyibo Chukwu after a tragic assassination just before the election, was duly elected as the Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District.
Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, a former governor of Enugu State and PDP member, had won the PDP ticket to contest the senatorial seat but openly supported the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, against his own party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Despite his expulsion from the PDP, he ran under its platform and was defeated by LP candidate Kelvin Chukwu. Chukwu received 69,000 votes compared to Nnamani’s 49,000 votes.
Nnamani had brought the case to the tribunal, citing over-voting, irregularities, election malpractices, and non-compliance with electoral guidelines as grounds for challenging the election. He sought a declaration as the rightful winner or the invalidation of the election results.
However, in its ruling, the tribunal dismissed the petition, deeming it “vague, lacking in merit, incompetent, generic, and an academic exercise.” Additionally, the tribunal ordered the petitioners to pay a cost of N500,000 to Senator Kelvin Chukwu, the Labour Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
