The validity of the 2023 Enugu State governorship election was once again called into question by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, who cast doubt on the eventual declaration of Peter Mbah as the winner.
Speaking on TrustTV News on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Sani highlighted the significant disputes that plagued the election, noting that the controversy was so pronounced it necessitated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) moving the matter to its central office in Abuja for resolution.
He pointed specifically to the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, where he alleged a clear case of over-voting, with the number of ballots cast exceeding the total number of accredited voters.
Sani maintained that the Labour Party candidate was the rightful winner of the election based on the initial figures, but INEC, after its intervention in Abuja, ultimately reversed this outcome and declared Peter Mbah the governor.
He said, “The governor of Enugu State, they were so much controversy around his election that the matter had to go to INEC office in Abuja. They was over voting, the total number of people who voted in Nkanu Area of Enugu State were in excess of the total number accredited. The person who won 2023 Enugu governorship election was the Labour Party candidate. INEC took the matter to Abuja, did whatever they want to do and returned Peter Mbah.”
The March 18, 2023, governorship election in Enugu State was indeed characterized by intense disputes, primarily revolving around the collated results from the Nkanu East Local Government Area.
The results initially caused a halt in the declaration process due to widespread allegations of result manipulation and over-voting.
The Labour Party candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, who was running neck-and-neck with the PDP’s Mbah, was the main challenger to the eventual result.
Following the review and subsequent announcement by INEC, which declared Mbah the winner with a margin of approximately 3,343 votes, the matter proceeded to the Election Petition Tribunal.
Edeoga and the Labour Party lodged a petition, arguing that Mbah was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes and also challenging his qualification to contest.
A major point of contention was the issue of over-voting, where the results from certain wards in Nkanu East LGA were alleged to have been inflated, leading to a vote count far exceeding the accredited voters confirmed by the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
However, in a landmark ruling, the Enugu State Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petition.
The Tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations of forgery regarding Mbah’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and did not discharge the burden of proof required to nullify the election based on over-voting, a decision affirmed in September 2023.
The legal battle continued as the Labour Party filed an appeal.
The Court of Appeal, in its subsequent decision, also dismissed Edeoga’s appeal, aligning with the Tribunal’s finding that the issues of forgery and substantial non-compliance with electoral laws were not successfully proven. The matter finally reached the Supreme Court.
The apex court upheld the decisions of the lower courts, affirming the election of Peter Mbah as the duly elected Governor of Enugu State in a final judgment delivered in December 2023.
Despite the judicial conclusion of the matter, Sani’s recent comments emphasize that the controversy surrounding the integrity of the election remains a potent political talking point within the state and the PDP.Continue, Full, Reading>>>>
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