Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, has fixed October 6, 2023, for judgment in the petitions seeking to nullify the election of Gov. Alex Otti.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the March 18 governorship poll, candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ikechi Emenike and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, counterpart, Okey Ahiwe, respectively, approached the tribunal and asked for the sack of the Governor.
Chief Emenike alleged that Otti did not resign his membership of the APC before crossing over to the Labour Party.
The APC candidate and his party also alleged that Otti’s name was not in the Labour Party register before his nomination as the party’s governorship candidate.
Counsel to Emenike, Tochukwu Maduka (SAN), claimed that the defendant’s counsel failed to provide the Labour Party register where his name appeared.
He prayed the Court to cancel Otti’s votes, as well as that of the PDP and YPP candidates; and declare his client the lawful winner of the election “having scored the highest of lawful votes in the election.”
Adopting his final written addresses, Otti’s Lead Counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions for lack of merit.
He expressed faith in the tribunal to uphold his client’s overwhelming victory at the polls.
Meanwhile, Lead Counsel to the PDP, Professor Paul Ananaba, agreed with the petitioner to sack Otti, but added that the PDP would benefit from the petition.
He said that the case of non-resignation of his client as the Chief of Staff to the former Governor holds no water in the eyes of the law.
All parties to the petition adopted their final written addresses after which the tribunal fixed October 6 for judgment.
