The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on November 2, 2023 dismissed the suits filed by Chima Ernest Boms and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) contesting the House of Representatives election of Hon. Manuchim Umezuruike of the Labour Party.
The Court of Appeal had earlier on Tuesday October 24, 2023 dismissed the Appeal No. CA/ABJ/EP/RV/HR/53/2023 filed by Ndubuisi Felix Anokwuru and All Progressives Congress (APC) against Hon. Manuchim Umezuruike, representing Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 1 in the House of Representatives, for lacking in merit.
While rebutting the documents and arguments presented to the Tribunal by the petitioners in the two election petitions, Hon. Justice Bamidele Aina in his judgment described the submissions of Barrister Jubilee Nwokoro Chinonso, Lead Counsel to the respondents, Hon. Umezuruike and Labour Party as “lucid, intelligent and ex-abundanti cautela.”
In a related development, the Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petition No: Ept/Rv/Hr/05/2023 filed by the People’s Democratic Party and its candidate, Barrister Chima Ernest Boms. The Tribunal also dismissed the other Petition No. Ept/Rv/Hr/18/2023 filed by All Progressives Congress and its candidate Mr. Anokwuru Felix Ndubuisi.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal, being the final court in the National Assembly election matters, has dismissed all cases against Hon. Manuchim Umezuruike thereby upholding his election into the House of Representatives.