Politics

Tribunal dismisses PDP’s petition, affirms Otti as Abia gov

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, has dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okechukwu Ahaiwe, challenging the election of Governor Alex Otti.

The tribunal also declared Otti, who contested the election under the platform of the Labour Party (LP), as the duly elected governor of Abia State.

The three-member panel, in its judgement read by Justice G.T.D Gwada, on Friday, October 6, 2023, dismissed the three grounds raised by the petitioner for lacking merit.

The tribunal, in a unanimous decision, held that the petitioners failed in their attempt to convince the panel that the election was marred by irregularities and not conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, beyond reasonable doubt.

READ ALSO: Ex-bank MD, Alex Otti, wins Abia guber poll for LP

Justice Gwada stated that the issue of whether Otti was qualified to contest or the LP’s governorship primary election was not duly conducted “were entirely party affairs and, therefore, the tribunal lacked the jurisdiction”.

The tribunal also held that the petitioners were unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt, their allegations that Otti did not score the majority of the lawful votes cast and that the election was marred by corrupt practices and irregularities.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Otti, who was the Managing Director of the defunct Diamond Bank (acquired by Access Bank), polled 175,467 votes to defeat Ahaiwe who scored 88,529 votes in the March 18 gubernatorial election in Abia State.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Minister lauds Coca-Cola over investment in packaging collection hub

The Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, has commended the Coca-Cola System, comprising…

22 mins ago

Ex-NHIS boss Usman Yusuf arraigned, sent to prison for fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the former Executive Secretary of the…

2 hours ago

Bandits pay chief N1.5m to establish camp

The Nigerian Army has disclosed that bandits paid a local chief N1.5 million to acquire…

4 hours ago

Transfer deadline day headlines

With the transfer window closing tonight, here are some of the key deadline day headlines:…

7 hours ago

3 talking points from Premier League

Arsenal's 5-1 demolition of Manchester City on Sunday kept the Gunners still within reach of…

7 hours ago

Bitcoin drops below $100,000 as Trump tariffs rattle markets

Cryptocurrency prices slid on Monday, February 3, 2025, with bitcoin at a three-week low and…

7 hours ago