AKINTAN, J.C.A. (Delivering the Leading Judgment): This is an appeal from the decision of the Local Government Election Tribunal sitting at Owerri in Imo State. The appellant, Mrs. Patience Nkolika Chibueze, and the 1st respondent, Emmanuel Ibediro, were chairmanship candidates at the local government election held on 5th December, 1998. The appellant contested the election on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) while the 1st respondent contested on the platform of the All People's Party (APP). The 2nd respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission, was the body charged with the conduct of the elections, while the 3rd and 4th respondents were the officials directly involved in conducting the elections in the present case. At the end of the said election, the 1st respondent was credited with 9,285 votes by the 2nd respondent while the appellant was credited with 5,991 votes. The 1st respondent was accordingly declared the winner of the election.
The appellant…