The coast seems to be getting clearer for the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., has withdrawn the petition filed against him at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, GEPT.
The former minister who came third at the March 18 governorship election is in the tribunal challenging the outcome of the process.
However, during the proceedings on Sunday, Nweke’s counsel, Prof. Race Achara, addressed the tribunal and expressed his client’s intention to make an oral application to withdraw the petition, identified as EPTEN/GOV/07/2023, from the court.
Achara stated, “My lords, as instructed by my client, I wish to make an oral application before the honorable 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.”
Responding to the petitioner’s application, the first, second, and third respondents informed the court that they had no objections to Nweke’s withdrawal.
Consequently, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice M. K Akano, ruled to strike out the petition. “The petition before the tribunal with suit number EPTEN/GOV/07/2023 is hereby withdrawn,” the tribunal declared.
Following the withdrawal, counsel to the first respondent, PMB Onyia (Esq.), addressed the press and expressed his view that the petitioners chose to withdraw their petition because they deemed it unlikely to succeed. “I would like to say that they withdrew their petition because it had no chance of succeeding,” Onyia explained.
The withdrawal of the petition marks the conclusion of the legal challenge against Governor Peter Mbah’s victory in the Enugu State governorship election. With the matter resolved, Governor Mbah can now focus on leading the state and fulfilling his electoral promises to the people of Enugu
