A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, has submitted a formal petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, of tendering forged polling unit results during the 2023 election tribunal proceedings.
Hon. Ogah, who represents the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, alleged that Onyejeocha attempted to overturn his election victory by presenting 63 polling unit results that were neither issued nor certified by INEC.
The petition, dated April 14, 2024, was officially acknowledged by INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on April 29, 2025. Ogah contended that although the documents bore INEC stamps, they were unrecognized by both the state and national offices of the Commission, raising serious concerns about electoral document forgery.
INEC Already Certified Ogah’s Victory
INEC had declared Ogah the winner of the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election, having polled 11,822 votes, ahead of Onyejeocha who garnered 8,752 votes. Following the announcement, Onyejeocha challenged the outcome at both the Election Petition Tribunal in Umuahia and the Court of Appeal, but her petitions were dismissed.
Ogah, who currently serves as Chairman of the House Committee on AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, said he delayed filing the petition in order to compile substantial evidence and official documents. He confirmed he would be submitting certified copies of both the authentic and disputed election results, along with relevant tribunal and appellate court judgments, to aid INEC’s investigation.
“I am constrained to write in a bid to make my contribution to the ongoing efforts at sanitising our electoral system,” Ogah stated in the petition.
He further asserted that the documents Onyejeocha presented at the tribunal were not only fake but aimed at manipulating the judicial process.
Minister Dismisses Allegations as Distraction
In a swift response, Minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, through a media aide, dismissed the allegations as false, recycled, and a media distraction. The minister’s camp accused Ogah of using the petition to divert attention from an impending defamation case against him.
“All the allegations in the petition are false. They have been trashed long ago,” the aide said.
“Ogah has a defamation case coming up tomorrow for allegedly accusing a judge of accepting bribes from the Minister.”
The aide claimed that Ogah is attempting to generate sympathy and shift focus from potential legal consequences he may face in court.
What’s Next?
With INEC now in possession of the petition and supporting documents, attention is focused on how the electoral body will proceed—whether through internal investigation or referral to law enforcement for possible prosecution.
Electoral stakeholders and civil society organizations have called for transparency, legal accountability, and strict sanctions if forgery is confirmed.
