Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party has filed a petition with the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Enugu challenging the election of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Lawyers, party supporters, and some journalists have been prevented from entering the Enugu State High Court Complex during this time.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is currently sitting in Enugu and is expected to hand down its decision shortly.
The metropolitan area of Enugu is experiencing a heightened level of worry at the moment, particularly in light of the fact that the Kano State Governorship Election Tribunal dismissed Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party on Wednesday.
Earlier today (Thursday), it was reported by ProbitasNews that the three-person panel of the Tribunal chaired by Justice Akano had decided to make their decision public today.
Edeoga and his party, the Labour Party, are contesting the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to name Peter Mbah of the PDP as the elected governor of the state following the governorship election that took place on March 18. The INEC made this decision following the election on March 18.
Edeoga is seeking the court to acknowledge him as the lawfully elected governor of Enugu in the petition that he has submitted.
According to him, during the election he received the highest number of legal votes cast for any candidate.
The petition names INEC as the first respondent, with Mbah and PDP following as the second and third respondents, respectively.
Peter Mbah, while adopting his last written address on August 16, through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), asked the court to dismiss the petitions of the Labour Party because they lacked merit. This request was made when Mbah was in the process of adopting his final written address.
In a similar vein, the attorney for the PDP, Anthony Ani (SAN), argued that the petitioners’ position is not clear and does not provide any proof to support their claims.
Adopting his concluding address, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), lead counsel for the Labour Party and its candidate for governor, asked the tribunal to hold the position of his clients and award the reliefs sought by his client. Awomolo is the candidate for the governorship of the Labour Party.
In the meantime, the roads that go to the courthouse complex have been heavily blocked off with military trucks that are staffed by security men who appear to be very angry.
