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The Court of Appeal in Lagos has dismissed the appeals instituted against the election of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their governorship candidates.
In a unanimous decision on Saturday, the 3-man Appeal Court panel upheld the victory of Otti at the polls, saying that it conformed with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The Eastern Updates gathered that 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.
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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.
In another report, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State has reacted to the appeal court judgement that upheld the victory of Alex Otti as the duly elected Governor of Abia State.
The guber candidate of PDP, Okey Ahiwe, urged his supporters to remain calm in the face of what he described as “eclipse of transitional sunset”.
PDP, in a statement signed by Abraham Amah, its Vice Chairman and acting Publicity Secretary in Abia, said it was meeting with its candidate and his running mate to review the judgement and come out with the next line of action.
While reiterating its confidence in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man and one of the strongest pillars of our democracy, the PDP sued for calm among its party members and supporters in the face of the loss.
‘We call on members of the PDP, our numerous supporters and sympathisers and the good people of Abia State to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law abiding and put our hope and trust in God and in the judiciary as we explore the options available to us,‘ it said.
The PDP, which said the people of the state have been suffering under Alex Otti’s administration, said it would never abandon them.
