A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, the nation’s capital, has voided the election of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the senator-elect for Delta North senatorial district.
Ahmed Mohammed, the presiding judge, gave the order on Wednesday while delivering judgment in a suit filed by Ned Nwoko, challenging the election of Senator Nwaoboshi as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the October 2, 2018 primary of the party.
Nwoko had approached the court asking for an order to prohibit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from publishing the name of Senator Nwaoboshi as the PDP candidate for Delta North senatorial district.
He also asked for a separate order compelling PDP to forward his name to INEC as the authentic candidate of the PDP for the senatorial area.
Nwoko argued that he was the duly elected candidate of the PDP at the primaries having polled 453 votes to defeat Nwaoboshi, who came second with 405 votes; while another contestant, Paul Osaji, finished third with 216 votes.
The court ruled that Nwaoboshi, a serving senator, did not win the PDP primaries for the elective position.
Justice Mohammed ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Nwoko as PDP candidate, having established before the court that he scored the highest number of votes in the said primary election.
The judge held that Nwoko was entitled to his claims and prayers, having established that he emerged victorious in the PDP Delta north senatorial primary election of October 2, 2018.
The court also barred Senator Nwaoboshi from parading himself as the candidate of the PDP for the senatorial zone.
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