Frank Ibezim took oath of office on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday after three months of legal tussle with Ifeanyi Ararume, a contender for the seat.
Both contenders are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The seat became vacant in December 2019 after the demise of Benjamin Uwajumogu who was sworn in as the lawmaker representing the senatorial district at the commencement of the ninth senate.
The bye-election for the senatorial district was held in December 2020 but no one was named by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner owing to conflicting court orders.
After weeks of litigation, the supreme court affirmed Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the APC in the bye-election.
The two lower courts had held that Ibezim “bears two different and irreconcilable names” and presented three falsified West African Examination Council results for the same election.
One of the certificates bears Chukwuemeka Frank Ibezim and another Francis Ibezim Chukwuemeka.
However, the apex court did not disqualify Ibezim on these findings.
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