The Abia State election petition tribunal, sitting in Umuahia, has dismissed three grounds of appeal submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Okey Ahaiwe, against the election of Governor Alex Otti.
The panel, which issued its decision around 1:20 p.m., dismissed Ahaiwe’s case for lack of merit.
Ahaiwe had contested the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) designation of Otti of the Labour Party as the legitimately elected governor.
In his pleadings, Ahaiwe begged the court to remove Otti and declare him the winner through his lawyer, Paul Ananaba, SAN.
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Among other things, the PDP candidate claimed Otti’s electoral victory violated Section 77 of the Electoral Act.
However, the tribunal dismissed all of the requests for lack of merit.
The result elicited spontaneous euphoria from thousands of LP supporters from across the state, who danced in joy and celebration outside the Federal High Court facility.