The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Asaba, Delta State, delivered a significant ruling on Monday, resulting in the nullification of the election of Francis Waive, a two-term member of the House of Representatives representing the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The tribunal declared Solomon Ahwinahwi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election, as the rightful winner to represent the Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu federal constituency.
Additionally, the tribunal issued another judgment, mandating a re-run for Enwhe ward 09 of the Isoko federal constituency. Furthermore, it directed the cancellation of the Certificate of Return previously issued to Mr. Jonathan Ukohdiko of the PDP, who was declared the winner of the Isoko federal constituency election.
This decision stemmed from a petition by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Isoko federal constituency, Mr. Dickson Ebegbare, who contended that Ukohdiko had not been duly elected by legitimate votes and that no valid election had taken place in the contentious ward 09.
In the case of Francis Waive, the tribunal nullified his election on the grounds that his qualification had not been published as required by electoral regulations.
Francis Waive expressed his disagreement with the tribunal’s ruling and vowed to appeal it at the appellate court. He argued that the grounds for his disqualification were not recognized under Nigerian law.
These rulings mark significant developments in the ongoing legal disputes surrounding the election results in Delta State, impacting the composition of the National Assembly.