The Abia State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia on Friday dismissed the petitions by Okey Ahaiwe,the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against Alex Otti ( LP), the incumbent Governor.
The petitioner had challenged the declaration of Otti as the duly elected governor by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in the March 18 Governorship election in the state.
Ahaiwe,had through his Lawyer, Paul Ananaba, SAN, among others,prayed the court to remove Otti and declare him the winner claiming that the electoral victory of Otti did not conform with Section 77 of the Electoral Act.
However, the tribunal dismissed the prayers for lacking in merit.
Meantime,the case brought by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC , Ikechi Emenike against Otti is being handled by the Tribunal.
Emenike is requesting the tribunal to remove governor Otti, on the allegations that he did not resign his membership of the APC before joining the LP.
He is also claiming that Otti’s name was not in the register of the LP when he contested the election.
