.png)
By Iheanyi Chukwudi
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and it's governorship candidate in the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State, Frank Nweke Jr. have withdrawn the petition filed against Gov. Peter Mbah and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), challenging outcome of the March said election in the state.
Nweke, who came third in the governorship election with 17,983 votes as against Mbah’s 160,895 votes, announced the withdrawal of his petition yesterday at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu state, through an oral application by his counsel, Prof Race Achara.
The petitioners’ counsel, while addressing the tribunal said his client wished to make an oral application to withdraw the petition which had its suit number as EPTEN/GOV/07/2023 from the court.
“My lords, as has been instructed by my client, I wish to make an oral application before the honourable tribunal to withdraw the petition filed against the first, second and third respondents in this matter so that we will no longer be wasting the time of the court, as we were not able to gather the evidence that will help in prosecuting the matter."
The first, second and third respondents are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Peter Mbah, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), respectively.
Replying to the petitioners’s application, counsel to the first, second, and 3rd respondents told the court that they had no objection to Nweke’s application.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice M. K Akano, therefore, made a ruling striking out the petition.She said, “The petition before the tribunal with suit number EPTEN/GOV/07/2023 is hereby withdrawn."
Confirming the withdrawal to newsmen on phone, Mr. Nweke Jr., who was a Minister in the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration, said he decided to withdraw the petition for personal reasons.
Comentários