Abia guber: Tribunal upholds Alex Otti’s victory, dismisses PDP’s petition

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The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, Abia State, has dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the election of Governor Alex Otti. The Tribunal found that the PDP’s petition lacked merit.
The court upheld Otti’s position as the legitimately elected governor of Abia State. Led by Justice H.T.D. Gwadah, the tribunal rejected the petition filed by Ambrose Ahaiwe and the PDP, which contested the results of the March 18, 2023, election.
Justice Gwadah, while delivering the verdict, stated that the concerns about Otti’s eligibility to run for the election and the arguments presented by the petitioners were issues related to pre-election matters. Consequently, he concluded that the tribunal did not have the authority to address this matter.

The court also said that the PDP did not provide any evidence to support their claim that Governor Otti forged his NYSC certificate. Therefore, the PDP could not prove their case. The court also said that whether or not someone has an NYSC certificate is not a factor in whether or not they can be elected governor.

The tribunal emphasized that none of the witnesses presented by the petitioners provided testimony regarding the documents submitted to support their claim of overvoting, rendering those documents ineffective. Additionally, it stated that the petitioners did not substantiate their assertion that the results from Obingwa Local Government Area were taken to Abuja, allegedly manipulated, and then returned to Abia for declaration.

Following the election, Chukwuemeka Nwaogu, the counsel for the petitioners, mentioned that they would carefully examine the judgment and, in accordance with legal provisions, determine their next course of action in consultation with their client.

Meanwhile, CeeKay Igara, the Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, characterized the judgment as a true representation of the will of the people, who overwhelmingly supported Otti.