The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, Abia State, has dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election of Governor Alex Otti, confirming him as the duly elected governor of Abia State. The tribunal, led by Justice H.T.D. Gwadah, ruled that the petition lacked merit.
Justice Gwadah explained that the issues raised in the petition, such as Otti's qualification to contest the election and allegations of forgery of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, were pre-election matters and fell outside the tribunal's jurisdiction. Additionally, the petitioners failed to provide evidence to support their claims of overvoting, rendering the documents of no value. The tribunal also noted that the petitioners did not prove their assertion that the election result for Obingwa Local Government Area was tampered with in Abuja before being declared in Abia.
Governor Otti's victory was upheld, and the PDP's petition was dismissed. The Labour Party (LP) Chairman in Abia State, CeeKay Igara, praised the judgment, viewing it as a reflection of the people's will, as Otti received overwhelming support from voters.
The PDP's legal team stated that they would review the judgment and consider their next steps in accordance with the law
