Victor EzejaThe Supreme Court on Friday affirmed Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party was validly elected as governor of Abia State during the March 18 election.
The apex court dismissed the case of an invalid nomination, filed by Okey Ahiwe, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Ikechi Emenike of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for “lacking in merit.”
The court had after appeals by the two candidates on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, reserved judgment till today.
Ahiwe and Emenike had argued that Otti was ineligible to run for office because he had falsified his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and was not a registered member of the Labour Party.
According to the tribunal that earlier ruled on the matter, the petitioners’ claims against the respondent were not supported by evidence.
The tribunal further declared that it was not appropriate for it to make a decision on Otti’s eligibility to run for office because it was a pre-election matter.
Subsequently, the Court Appeal in December 2023, affirmed Otti’s election.
In its ruling on Friday, the apex court held that determining a candidate’s sponsorship is only a party affair and subsequently dismissed the appeals.
The Obingwa local government’s outcome, which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed the returning officer had unlawfully decreased, was likewise dismissed by the Supreme Court.
According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the election, Otti polled 175,466 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ahiwe of the PDP who scored 88,529 votes.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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