SULLIVAN I. CHIME ONYEBUCHI SUNDAY V. BARRISTER OKEY EZEA SIR S.N.C. NWAGU LABOUR PARTY PEOPLES’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORIAL COMMISSION (INEC) & 3,379 ORS. V. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION & ORS. NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION RESIDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER ENUGU STATE/RETURNING OFFICER GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION & 3,370 ORS. V. BARRISTER OKEY EZEA SIR S.N.C. NWAGU LABOUR PARTY SULLIVAN IHEANACHO CHIME ONYEBUCHI SUNDAY PEOPLES’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY MAJOR GENERAL S.U. ATAWODI (GENERAL OFFICER, COMMANDING 82 DIVISION, NIGERIAARMY, ENUGU) THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, ENUGU STATE THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE F.A. SONAIKE (DIRECTOR, STATE SECURITY SERVICES, ENUGU STATE) THE STATE SECURITY SERVICES (CONSOLIDATED APPEALS)

ADEKEYE JCA (Delivering the Lead Judgment: This is an appeal against the judgment of the Governorship/Legislative Houses Election

Petition Tribunal, Enugu delivered on 18 January 2008.

The appellants before this court - Barrister Sullivan I. Chime and Sunday Onyebuchi were 1st and 2nd respondents respectively before the election petition tribunal in the petition No. NAGL/EPT/EN/GOV /43/2007, filed by the petitioners, now 1st and 2nd respondents. The 3rd respondent - Labour Party was the party which sponsored the 1st and 2nd respondents at the election. The 4th respondent - Peoples’ Democratic Party sponsored the appellants as its Gubernatorial candidates in the election. The 5th - 3377th respondents, INEC and its officers conducted the elections of 14 and 28 of April 2007 held in Enugu State.

The 1st appellant contested the governorship election with candidatesfrom sixteen various political parties. The election in Enugu State took place on two dates: 14 and 28 April 2007. At the retur…