The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka Anambra state capital yesterday upheld the election of Hon. Ifeanyi Ibezi of Idemili North/ South Federal Constituency.

The election of Hon. Ibezi on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was challenged by Hon. Obinna Chidoka of People Democratic Party PDP who sought for the nullification of the election on the ground of multiple voting and none compliance to electoral laws.

Chidoka also contested that Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) ought not to have conducted the supplementary election having conducted the election in the areas and he won.

Delivering judgement read by two judges of the panel of three, namely: Justice R. Irele Ifijeh and His Lordship O.O. Odubanjo, the tribunal held that the petitioner was unable to establish that results he presented before the tribunal was generated during the election.

The tribunal also held that the petitioner could not identify the source of the results.

The tribunal also held that INEC has the power to conduct a supplementary election, where the election was inconclusive.

It held that since the petitioner could not establish where he got the results presented before it is not the duty of the tribunal to go into voyage of discovery to find out the source of the results.

The tribunal said that the petitioner has failed woefully to establish his case beyond reasonable doubt for it to nullify the election it has had no option than to dismiss the petition.

Reacting, Hon. Ibezi said that the excitement from the people of Idemili North and South shows how happy they are that he has retained the mandate freely given to him by the people of the federal constituency.

He said that the court having spoken, what is left for him is to go back to work from where he stopped.

According to him already he has been working in his constituency and has aided the employment of many people from his constituency in federal civil service and that at home he engaged 25 people in his two constituency offices in Idemili North and Idemili South.

Hon. Ibezi said that before now he has done a lot of work in his constituency.

On his words to his opponent, Ibezi said: “my opponent has done his bit and I ask him to maintain the peace and understand the feeling of Idemili people and abide by that”.

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