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Hon. Solomon Akpulonu has been re-elected as the Abia State lawmaker representing the Obingwa East constituency in the State House of Assembly.
The election victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was upheld in a unanimous ruling by the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, as reported by The Eastern Updates during the weekend.
The former majority leader of the immediate past Assembly described the court ruling as a clear demonstration of God’s grace upon him in his reaction.
‘To God be the glory. This has put to rest the arguments over the sound verdict earlier delivered in my favour by the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal,’ Akpulonu said.
Akpulonu leveraged the platform to reassure his constituency of his unwavering dedication to providing excellent representation and driving rapid progress.
The Eastern has learned that after the election tribunal in Umuahia nullified his petition against the election result citing a lack of merit, Labour Party candidate Peter Azubike has lodged an appeal.
Azubike had called for a rerun in 28 polling units within the constituency, citing worries about over-voting, rigging, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
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The Labour Party in Imo State raised concerns regarding INEC’s alleged non-compliance with a court order, which permits the inspection of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
The Imo State Labour Party (LP) has voiced concerns about INEC’s reported hesitancy to comply with a court order, hindering the party’s inspection of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in the November 11 governorship election.
The LP contends that the alleged obstruction by INEC is impeding the party’s ability to fulfil the court-ordered forensic examination of the BVAS.LP State Chairman, Callistus Ihejiagwa, briefed journalists in Owerri, revealing that the Election Petition Tribunal had issued an order on November 26 for INEC to grant the LP access to the BVAS machine used during the election.
Despite the court order, Ihejiagwa claimed that INEC obstructed the forensic inspection process.
According to Ihejiagwa, the tribunal’s order explicitly included the forensic inspection of election materials, including the BVAS machine. However, he accused INEC of frustrating the process by denying access to the BVAS machine for forensic inspection.
According to Ihejiagwa, INEC had previously asserted that only its headquarters possesses the authority to grant access to the BVAS for inspection.
After being granted access, the LP’s team of forensic experts discovered that only 65 out of over 5,000 BVAS machines were accessible, and they were denied the chance to inspect them.
Ihejiagwa voiced concern over INEC’s behavior, raising doubts about the electoral commission’s interference with the legal proceedings and emphasizing its primary role as an unbiased election referee.
He pointed out that the tribunal’s order specifically encompassed the BVAS, underscoring the indispensable role of the LP’s access for a thorough forensic investigation.
LP’s counsel, Athan Achonu, stressed the importance of the tribunal’s order, specifically for a forensic examination of BVAS machines to maintain their integrity before and after the election. Despite criticizing INEC’s non-compliance, Achonu expressed belief in the judiciary’s capability to ensure justice.
