GREATER AWGU REPS SEAT: ENUGU DEPUTY MINORITY LEADER, ENEH CONGRATULATES OMEIHEUKWU ON HIS VICTORY AT APPEAL COURT

GREATER AWGU REPS SEAT: ENUGU DEPUTY MINORITY LEADER, ENEH CONGRATULATES OMEIHEUKWU ON HIS VICTORY AT APPEAL COURT

Published by JANE-CARESTV, Monday November 6, 2023.

The Deputy Minority leader of the Enugu State House of Assembly and Member representing Awgu North Constituency, Rt. Hon. Mrs Jane Chinwe Eneh has congratulated Chief (Engr.) Anayo Onwuegbu (Omeiheukwu) on his victory at court of appeal.

The court of appeal sitting in Lagos has dismissed the appeal filed by Barr. Chijioke Okereke of the Labour Party against his sack by the Enugu State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal as Member representing Awgu/Aninri/Oji-River Federal Constituency. 

The judges, in a judgement delivered on Monday, November 6, ruled that the appeal against the tribunal ruling that Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu (Omeiheukwu) was the rightful winner of the February 25th election, lacks merit. 

Recall that on September 8th, 2023, JANE-CARESTV reported that the Enugu State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sacked Barr. Chijioke Okereke. 

In the report, the three-man panel led by Justice Nusirat. I. Umar declared Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu (Omeiheukwu), the candidate of People's Democratic Party (PDP), as the duly elected candidate of the February 25th poll. 

Engr. Onwuegbu had approached the tribunal after the poll, challenging the declaration of Barr. Chijioke Okereke of the Labour Party as winner, on the grounds that he (Okereke) was a stranger to the election and his name wasn't even on the result sheet as the labour party candidate. 

The panel agreed that Barr. Chijioke Okereke wasn't a candidate for the election and, accordingly, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). 

Recall also that prior to the election, the name that appeared on the list published by INEC for the election was Rt. Hon. Toby Okechukwu, former minority leader of the House of Representatives. That was also the name that appeared on the result sheet, too and not that of Barr. Chijioke Okereke. 

However, it could be recalled that Barr. Okereke had approached a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu to claim the ticket of the Labour Party, and a judgement was given in his favour after Rt. Hon. Toby Okechukwu distanced himself from being a member of the Labour Party or its candidate in the 2023 general election.

Reacting to the news of Omeiheukwu's victory at Court of Appeal, the Deputy Minority Leader of the Enugu State House of Assembly and Member representing Awgu North Constituency, Rt. Hon. Mrs Jane Chinwe Eneh (Agudo) congratulated Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu, on his victory at the apex court. 

In her words, "Congratulations once more, Ebube Enugu, on your victories at the Tribunal and Appeal Court, respectively." Your victories are indeed well-deserved. Your win, after several weeks of legal battle, is a great win to the people of Greater Awgu, our great party PDP, our democracy and Enugu state in general.

"Now that elections and the disputes arising therefrom are finally resolved and brought to a logical end, we give God all the glory, for it has ended in praise," Mrs Eneh said. 

"Now that all distractions are over, this is the beginning of a new dawn in Greater Awgu. It is now time to focus on governance by channelling all your expertise and wealth of experience in improving the socio-economic well-being of our region through people-oriented representation like never before."

"Be rest assured of my continuous support and those of my constituents at all times," Mrs Eneh added. 

"May God's grace and wisdom continue to rest upon you in the national assignment ahead of you," Mrs Eneh prays.

#OkolikeMichael 

Media Assistant to the Deputy Minority Leader.