A tribunal in Nasarawa State has sacked the Imo State House of Representatives member for Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a supplementary election in the constituency within 90 days.
The tribunal’s decision was based on a petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abazu Chika Benson.
Benson argued that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the election because the party’s primary election was held in a venue that was outside the constituency.
The tribunal agreed with Benson and held that the PDP’s primary election was invalid.
It also held that Ugochinyere was not qualified to participate in the election because he was not validly nominated.
The tribunal ordered INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the 55 polling units where elections did not hold on February 25.
The PDP and its candidate will be excluded from the supplementary election.
The Labour Party candidate, Obi Paschal Chigozie, who came second in the election, is the most likely beneficiary of the supplementary election.
