Ikpeazu, Otti know fate as Abia Governorship Petition Tribunal delivers judgment Friday

 

BY JOEL OGBU

The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, has slated Friday, September 20, 2019, to give its judgment in the petition brought before it by Dr Alex Otti and his party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Otti was the gubernatorial candidate of APGA in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Okezie Ikpeazu, the candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), winner.

The result which placed APGA third was flatly rejected by Otti and also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Uche Ogah, now Minister of State for Steel and Mining Development, who came second, in the highly disputed election.

Both Otti and Ogah had gone to the tribunal, separately, challenging the outcome of the election, but it was the APGA candidate who diligently pursued his petition at the tribunal while the APC petition was thrown out early in the tribunal’s sitting for lack of diligent prosecution.

Otti, in his petition to the tribunal, asked for the nullification of the governorship election results in 15 out of the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State.

Part of the petition stated: ”That the 2nd respondent, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast in the Abia State Governorship Election held on March 9, 2019 which election was inconclusive by reasons of over voting which rendered null and void, the result from 788 polling units in 143 wards spread across 15 Local Government Areas of Abia state – namely; Aba North, Bende, Ikwuano, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Isuikwuato, Obingwa, Ohafia, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, Ukwa West, Umunneochi, Umuahia North and Umuahia South.

“That the Abia State governorship election held on March 9, 2019, is invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral guidelines for the conduct of the election and that the said election was violated by substantial non-compliance with the mandatory, statutory requirements which substantially affected the outcome of the said elections. That none of the candidates in the said election can be validly returned as having won the said election.”

The tribunal after hearing from the parties in the case adopted the final written addresses from the claimants and respondents on August 28 and thereafter adjourned to deliver its judgment at a later date.