Gov Otti wins again as tribunal throws away PDP, APC petitions * Scolds Ikechi Emenike  * As Nwaka urges petitioners to accept defeat

 

Gov Otti wins again as tribunal throws away PDP, APC petitions

* Scolds Ikechi Emenike

* As Nwaka urges petitioners to accept defeat

By Steve Oko

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Friday, affirmed the victory of Gov. Alex Otti of the Labour Party in the March 18 governorship poll.

Wawa News Global reports that Justice HTD Gwadah-led three man panel dismissed all the petitions filed against Otti by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Okey Ahiwe; and his All Progressives Congress, APC, counterpart, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, and their respective parties.

Other members of the panel were Justice Omolora Adeyemi, and Justice Boniface Ngyou.

The tribunal scolded Emenike over the nature of his petition which according to the tribunal, is strange and confusing.

Ahiwe’s all three grounds of petition were dismissed for lack of merit, as the tribunal subsequently resolved all of them in favour of Otti.

The grounds of petition as formulated by the PDP candidate were that the Otti was not qualified to run for the governorship election; did not win majority lawful votes; and that the election was marred by irregularities.

 

Delivering judgment on the issues, the tribunal held that the nomination and sponsorship of a candidate for an election, “are domestic affairs of a political party”, hence a non member of the party lacks locus to challenge it at the court.

The tribunal further dismissed the motion by the PDP candidate that Otti did not submit his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, discharge certificate, ruling that NYSC certificate is not a factor for qualification or disqualification for contesting for governorship election.

On the alleged irregularities and non compliance with the electoral act, the tribunal held that the Petitioners could not provide evidence to substantiate such claims, hence it was deemed that they dumped their petition.

According to the tribunal, the Petitioners failed to provide witnesses in all the polling units where it claimed there were overvoting, hence, it struck out the motion for lack of evidence.

It further held that the PDP candidate could not provide proof of his allegation that the result of Obingwa Local Government Area was taken to Abuja and doctored in favour of the LP candidate.

The tribunal, therefore, dismissed all the motions by the PDP candidate and his party.

In a related judgment, the tribunal struck out all the prayers by Chief Emenike and the APC, describing the Petitioners as meddlesome interlopers for seeking the nullification of Otti’s victory for alleged non nomination and sponsorship by his party.

The tribunal held that ” it is now cast on iron that non nomination and sponsorship of a candidate by a political party is an internal affairs of the party and not justicable”.

It held that non member of the party lacks the locus to challenge such action in the court, adding that it is only an aspirant of the party who participated in its primary election that can challenge such at the High Court.

The tribunal further held that Labour Party had demonstrated that “Otti is its member and was validly nominated and sponsored” for the election.

It held that Chief Emenike’s petition “has no foundation to stand and is hereby expunged from the records of the tribunal” .

” You cannot belong to a family and be dictating for another family how to run its affairs”, the tribunal declared.

The tribunal also scolded Emenike who came a distant fourth for asking to be declared winner of the election.

The APC candidate had also challenged the nomination of the PDP candidate, Chief Ahiwe and his running mate, Dr Jasper Uche, the duo of whom he claimed did not resign from their previous assignments as Chief of Staff to the Governor; and a Lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, respectively.

The tribunal held that earnings salaries from Government or driving Government cars does not necessarily make somebody a public servant in the case of Ahiwe.

It held that Dr Uche validly resigned his appointment as a Lecturer at UNN before contesting in the election.

The tribunal further described Emenike’s petition as “confusing, appalling and novel to election jurisprudence”.

Although it did not award any costs to the Petitioners, the Tribunal affirmed that the declaration of Otti as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll in Abia State, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was valid, and affirmed the declaration.

Responding, representative of the PDP legal team, Chukwuemeka Nworgu, thanked the Tribunal and requested a copy of the judgment to enable his client study it and determine the next line of action.

He commended the tribunal for taking time to consider the matters raised, saying he would “miss the faces” of the panel members.

In his reaction, represntative of the legal team of Chief Emenike and the APC, Mr Fabian Okonkwo, also thanked the tribunal for discharging the petitions ahead of the constitutional deadline.

He said his cluents would study the judgment before knowing what next to do.

But the represntative of the LP and Otti’s legal team, Chief Ume Kalu, SAN, thanked the tribunal for the judgment, saying it has given a judicial seal to Otti’s victory.

Meanwhile, there was eruption of joy in parts of the state capital after the judgment was pronounced as residents celebrated the Governor’s victory.

The spontaneous jubilation was akin to the ovation that greeted Otti’s announcement as Governor few days after the election.

Meanwhile former State Chairman of the PDP and one of the party’s governorship aspirant, Senator Emma Nwaka, has congratulated Otti on the affirmation of his victory, while urging the Petitioners to accept defeat and sheath their swords for the sake of Abia.

He described the court judgment as a validation of the initial joyous celebration that greeted Otti’s declaration as winner of the contest.

“The judgment of the Abia State Election Tribunal delivered today in favour of Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party in the governorship tussle strikes me as a true reflection of the wishes of ndi Abia as expressed through their ballot.

“I congratulate Dr. Otti on his well deserved victory and urge him to be magnanimous in his governance approach.

” As for those who lost, I congratulate them on their gallant efforts and enjoin them at the same time to sheath their sword at this point and join hands with governor Alex Otti to lift Abia State, God’s own State from the quagmire of underdevelopment.”

Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria.

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