BREAKING: Appeal Court Declares Winner Of Eti Osa Federal Constituency

BREAKING: Appeal Court Declares Winner Of Eti Osa Federal Constituency

On Thursday, the Appeal Court, Lagos Division, revalidated Thaddeus Attah of the Labour Party as the duly elected House of Representatives member representing Eti Osa Federal Constituency.

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The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which convened at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, had initially nullified Attah’s victory.

However, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal overturned the previous decision of the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal.

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The appellate court, in a unanimous decision, held that the lower tribunal made an error by relying on the evidence of witnesses who were not party agents in cases where elections were not held or were canceled. These witnesses had presented Form EC 8, which they did not file before the court.

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Furthermore, the court emphasized that for the tribunal to conclude that the margin of votes where elections were not held or were canceled could affect the overall outcome, the list of registered voters must be presented.

The court also highlighted that the voters’ register was never submitted to the lower tribunal; thus, it solely relied on Form EC 8 brought by witnesses.

Moreover, the court declared that the elections were conclusive and criticized the tribunal’s directive to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days in specific polling units.

In summary, the Appeal Court set aside the judgment of the lower tribunal, which had declared the elections inconclusive and mandated INEC to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days in 33 polling units where elections did not take place.

Thaddeus Attah, who was initially declared the winner with 24,075 votes, had faced challenges from the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Bankole Wellington (Banky W) and the All Progressives Congress’s Ibrahim Obanikoro. Banky W and Obanikoro contested the February 25, 2023 elections, with INEC stating that Attah secured the majority of lawful votes cast. Banky W had filed a petition, arguing that Attah was not qualified to contest and alleging corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022.

Reacting to the judgment, Ibrahim Obanikoro in his X handle formerly Twitter, said, “I would like to congratulate Representative Jude Thaddeus Attah on his victory at the appeal court today.

“Let’s throw our support for him so that he will give us a good representation for the next four years in Eti-Osa.”