By Damilare Adeleye
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Asaba, Delta State’s capital, has nullified the election victory of Labour Party’s Ngozi Okolie as the representative for the Aniocha/Oshimili Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The tribunal, while ruling on Monday, held that Okolie had not been a member of the Labour Party by May 28, 2022, the date of the primary election.
The court added that he was not properly sponsored by the party under which he was declared winner.
As a result, the tribunal declared Ndudi Elumelu, the runner-up in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the valid winner.
Elumelu, the immediate past Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, had submitted his petition to the tribunal, requesting Okolie’s disqualification.
Okolie had previously been declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
