The Ebonyi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by Benard Odoh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) against Governor Francis Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The three-member panel led by Justice Lekan Ogunmoye ruled that the petitioners did not have the legal standing to initiate the action, as the matter raised in the petition pertained to an internal matter within the APC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Nwifuru the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Ebonyi.
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Dissatisfied with the outcome, Mr Odoh and APGA filed the petition marked EPT/EB/GOV/01/2023 against INEC, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, and APC.
They contended that the APC illegally nominated Mr Nwifuru because he was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a speaker of the House of Assembly at the time of his nomination.
But in its judgment, the tribunal held that APGA failed to appeal a Federal High Court judgement that confirmed the governor’s defection.
(NAN)
