Tribunal dismisses claim of dual citizenship by C’River deputy governor

The appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Prof. Sandy Onor, against Governor Bassey Otu and Deputy Governor Peter Odey of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been rejected by the Cross River State Governorship Election appeal Tribunal.

In the petition, Onor had claimed that Odey, the deputy governor, had sworn allegiance while a British citizen.

The tribunal determined that questions pertaining to Odey’s dual citizenship and Otu’s eligibility were pre-election considerations and thus statute barred.

The three-person tribunal panel met in Calabar on Tuesday to render a decision regarding the petition with the file number EPT/CR/GOV/02/2023 that was submitted by the PDP and its candidate to contest Otu’s election.

The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to present any exhibits or averments to support their claim, in addition to maintaining that the dispute over dual citizenship was time-barred.

The panel further determined that the petitioners lacked locus standi because the issue related to political party membership and was an election-related one.

The panel upheld Otu’s election as governor of Cross River State by dismissing the petition without penalty.