Appeal Court Nullifies Election of LP’s Denis Agbo in Enugu

The Court of Appeal, Lagos State, has nullified the election of Denis Agbo, a member elected under the banner of the Labour Party (LP) during the last election. Agbo, who represented the Udenu/Igboeze North federal constituency of Enugu State, has been removed from office, with the court ordering a fresh election to be conducted within 90 days.

The court’s decision was delivered via a Zoom session, as it ruled on the appeal brought by Dr. Oby Ajih, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Dr. Ajih contested the election outcome, arguing that the initial tribunal’s ruling was flawed as it did not adhere to the correct election process due to the absence of her party’s logo in the EC8A form.

In a swift and concise judgment lasting less than 30 minutes, the appeal court upheld Dr. Ajih’s appeal, deeming it to have substantial merit. Consequently, the court set aside the earlier judgment issued by the tribunal. They emphasized that the failure to include the APC’s logo on the result sheet (form EC8A) was a clear violation of the electoral act.

This decision has set the stage for a fresh election in the Udenu/Igboeze North federal constituency of Enugu State, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) mandated to oversee the process.