Abia state election petition tribunal upholds Alex Otti election…. Dismisses PDP petition

The Abia state election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia, has dismissed the three grounds suit filed by the PDP and it’s governorship candidate, Chief Okey Ahaiwe, seeking the sack of governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party.

In a unanimous judgement, the three member panel led by justice H.T.D. Gwadah, on Friday, October 6, dismissed the petition for lacking merit and affirmed Otti as the duly elected governor of Abia State after the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

While delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Gwadah held that on the issue of whether Dr. Otti was qualified to contest the election, the arguments of the petitioners were pre- election matters which the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain.

It also pointed out that the petitioners failed to provide evidence on the allegation of forgery of NYSC certificates leveled against Dr. Otti and could therefore, not prove their case, while noting that NYSC was also not a factor for qualifying or disqualifying a candidate.

The tribunal insisted that no witness called by the petitioners spoke on documents tendered to prove their allegation of over voting, which made the documents to be of no value, just as the petitioners failed to prove their claim that the result of Obingwa Local Government Area was taken to Abuja where it was allegedly doctored before being brought back to Abia to be declared.

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