Ned Nwoko, Senator representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the National Assembly, has had his victory gained during the Delta North Senatorial Election of February 25, 2023, upheld by the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
The Tribunal, led by Justice Catherine Ogunsola, dismissed a petition from Ken Kanmma of the Labour Party (LP) for lacking merit, as the petitioner failed to provide evidence of non-compliance.
Additionally, the Tribunal rejected a petition from the All Progressives Congress (APC) against Nwoko, filed by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, awarding a cost of N500,000 against the petitioner.
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Furthermore, the court ordered a supplementary election within 90 days in response to a petition by PDP candidate Michael Diden against APC candidate Joel Onowakpo-Thomas in the Delta South Senatorial District poll.
Diden and his party filed a petition requesting the court invalidate INEC’s declaration of Onowakpo-Thomas as the senator-elect. They argued that he wasn’t elected by a majority of lawful votes and that his election violated the rules of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The petitioners also seek a Tribunal order to combine the election results from Warri South Local Government Area with the legitimate votes in favour of the parties. This would determine the election’s rightful winner based on the combined results.
The Tribunal agreed with the petitioner’s claims and declared a rerun only in Warri South council, where the election was cancelled.
