There is anxiety in the Labour Party (LP), as the party has emerged as the biggest casualty of the judgement of ongoing State and National Assembly Election Petition Tribunals.
This newspaper observed that tribunals sitting in various states, such as Abia, Enugu, and Edo, have sacked many LP elected members over unclear membership of the party and their mode of nomination as party flagbearers.
It was observed that the majority of those who were elected on the LP platform had participated in the primaries of other political parties before crossing over to the LP, where they secured nominations.
If various Appeal Courts uphold the judgments of the various tribunals against LP elected legislators at the National Assembly, then the Peter Obi-led Labour Party will lose its status as the third-most popular party in the National Assembly.
In the current 10th National Assembly, the Senate, precisely, the APC had 57 Senate seats: PDP, 29, LP, 8, SDP, 2, NNPP, 2, YPP, and APGA, 1 each.
In the House of Representatives, the APC has 162 seats, PDP has 102, LP has 34, NNPP has 18, APGA has 4, ADC has 2, SDP has 2, and YPP has 1.
Of the 552 election petitions filed by aggrieved candidates, majority of 159 of the cases decided, did not favour the Labour party.
As tribunals across the country end their sittings on Saturday, September 16, 2023, there is tension and uncertainty in the party as the Imo State National and State Assembly Election, sitting in Mararaba, Nassrawa State, determines the fate of LP Senator for Imo East Senate Seat, Ezenwa Onyewuchi.
Onyewuchi, alongside the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were dragged to the tribunal by the Senatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Alex Mbata and Hon. Uche Onyeagocha, respectively.
The duo are challenging Senator Onyewuchi’s declaration by INEC as winner of Imo East Senatorial election held on February 25, 2023.
In a notice of the judgment seen by this newspaper, the tribunal would give its verdict on Friday, September 15, 2023, by noon.
*UPDATED*