The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has rendered its verdict, affirming the victory of Governor Alex Otti in the March 18th polls.
The tribunal, located in Umuahia, the state capital, has dismissed several claims brought forward by Okey Ahaiwe, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), against Otti.
The tribunal’s judgment, which was delivered around 1:20 p.m., concluded that Ahaiwe’s case against Otti of the Labour Party (LP) lacked merit. Ahaiwe had challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Otti as the duly elected governor.
Through his lawyer, Paul Ananaba, SAN, Ahaiwe had requested that the court remove Otti and declare him the winner, citing non-conformity with Section 77 of the Electoral Act, among other grievances. However, the tribunal dismissed all of Ahaiwe’s requests for lacking merit.
The Tribunal’s judgement elicited spontaneous jubilation among thousands of supporters of the LP who had travelled from various parts of the State. They danced in joy and celebration outside the Federal High Court complex, Naija News understands.
In the meantime, the tribunal is currently presiding over the case brought by Ikechi Emenike of the APC against Otti. Emenike is seeking the removal of Governor Otti on the grounds that he failed to resign his membership from the APC prior to joining the LP.
Furthermore, the APC candidate in the gubernatorial election held on March 18th is alleging that Otti’s name was not included in the LP register during the election.