Appeal Court Affirms Otti’s Election as Abia Governor
Tamarauemi Ebimini
An Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State in a unanimous decision yesterday, upheld the victory of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, at the polls, stressing that it conformed with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court of dismissed the appeals brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their governorship candidates against Otti’s victory.
The appellate court ruled that petitions brought by the appellants lacked in merit, as they were like “a comedy skit brought to a democratic setting.”
The court said issues of political party membership is a pre-election matter, which also falls within the jurisdiction of the political party.
It further said since Otti joined the Labour Party, won its primary election and submitted his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he was qualified to contest.
On the issues of Bimodial Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) brought by the PDP and its candidate, the appeal court said the appellants failed to demonstrate or link their documentary evidence to the specific parts of the case.
The judgement has sparked celebration among the supporters of Governor Otti in some parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the PDP while reacting to the judgment in a statement signed by the party’s acting State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah advised its members to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law-abiding.
