The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal convened in Umuahia has dismissed a petition challenging the election victory of Rep. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Samson Paul-Gang, who presided over the three-member panel on Tuesday, the petition brought forth by the Labour Party (LP) was rejected due to its lack of merit.
Justice Paul-Gang emphasized that all parties would be responsible for covering the administrative costs. The judge concluded that the petitioners had failed to substantiate their claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
Chief Frank Chinasa, the LP candidate, had contested the re-election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) member Kalu for the Bende Federal Constituency of Abia. Chinasa’s legal representative, Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), urged the tribunal to invalidate the votes cast in favour of Kalu, citing Kalu’s alleged lack of qualifications for the Feb. 25 poll.
Usman argued that Kalu’s educational credentials did not align with the stipulations outlined in Section 65(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, as he had used various names across different certificates.
On the opposing side, Kalu’s legal counsel, Mr Kelvin Nwufo, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition due to its lack of merit. Nwufo highlighted that the discrepancies in Kalu’s names were appropriately harmonized through a deed of proof and a Federal Government gazette, which documented the name change.
The judge, in dismissing the petition, underscored that the burden of proof regarding the alleged certificate falsification rested on the petitioner, who failed to establish their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Both sides’ legal representatives declined to provide interviews to the press. Adding a twist to the proceedings, Mr Ifeanyi Igbokwe, the Action Alliance (AA) candidate in the same election, submitted a fresh application regarding the imposition of his name. Present with his legal team, Igbokwe clarified that he was not challenging Kalu’s victory in the Feb. 25 poll, but rather seeking to identify the individual using his name for that purpose.
The tribunal subsequently adjourned for a later date to continue the hearing. Mr Daniel Anya, representing AA, had previously urged the tribunal to nullify Kalu’s election due to the omission of the party’s name and logo from the ballot during the election.
