The Lagos Court of Appeal has overturned the victory of Darlington Nwokocha, the Labour Party candidate, in the February 25 election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had initially declared Nwokocha the winner in Abia Central with 92,116 votes, defeating his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Augustine Akobundu, who garnered 41,477 votes.
Darlington Nwokocha, the incumbent minority whip in the Senate, was challenged by Akobundu, a former Minister of State for Defence, who alleged fraud and non-compliance with electoral regulations by INEC in the election. The election petition tribunal dismissed Akobundu’s petition in September, prompting the PDP candidate to take the matter to the Court of Appeal.
In a ruling issued on Saturday, the appellate court declared Augustine Akobundu as the duly elected Senator for Abia Central.
The PDP officially confirmed this development through a statement on its X platform (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening, stating that “Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd), the former National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has just been declared by the Appeal Court as the rightful winner of Abia Central Senatorial District in Abia State. Senator Austin Akobundu, Abia Central, and Senator Osita Ngwu, Enugu West, represent the PDP in the South-East region at the National Assembly.”
