The Governorship election petition tribunal in Umuahia, Abia state, has dismissed the petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Okey Ahaiwe against Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party.
The tribunal presided over by Hon. Justice H. T. D Gwadah which delivered the Judgement on Friday, October 6 dismissed Ahaiwe’s case for lack of merit.
In her ruling, Gwadah said that the petitioners, the PDP and others, “failed in their three grounds and their petitions dismissed for lack of merit.”
Ahaiwe had challenged the declaration of Otti as the duly elected governor by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In his prayers through his Lawyer, Paul Ananaba, SAN, Ahaiwe had urged the court to remove Otti and declare him the winner.
The PDP candidate said the electoral victory of Otti did not conform with Section 77 of the Electoral Act, among other prayers. But, the tribunal threw away all the requests, for lacking in merit.
Meanwhile the case brought by Ikechi Emenike of the APC against Otti is currently being handled by the court.
Emenike is asking the tribunal to remove governor Otti, on the allegations that he did not resign his membership of the APC before joining the LP.
The APC candidate in the March 18 gubernatorial election is also claiming that Otti’s name is not in the register of the LP when he contested the election.
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