The People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress both had their challenges against the election of Abia State Governor Alex Otti dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Saturday while it was in Lagos.
In its decision, the State Election Petition Tribunal rejected the petitions from the APC and PDP while upholding Otti’s election as leader of the Labour Party.
However, the two parties who were not happy with the Tribunal’s ruling went to the Appeal Court to get their issues resolved.
In this decision, the appellate court rejected as unjustified the PDP and APC’s petitions challenging Otti’s electoral victory.
The judges of the Appeal Court characterised the petitions filed by the APC and PDP as a farce that had no business being discussed in a democratic forum.
The judges declared in their unanimous ruling that the appellants had not shown their case or connected their supporting documentation to the relevant portions of their argument.
The judges determined that neither section 137 of the EA nor paragraph 46(4) of the First Schedule gives any validity to the Certified True Copies of the documents that were submitted to the election petition tribunal; rather, they were simply thrown on the tribunal.
“Appellants renounced their right to appeal the Tribunal’s expunction of Exhibit P38 through PW4.” “The appellants’ second and third grounds of petition were not proven.
The court decided that all things considered, the appeal was unsuccessful and was dismissed, with costs assessed at $200,000 against the appellants and in favour of the respondent.
