Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the candidate of Labour Party (LP); and two others, Okey Ahiwe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and High Chief Ikechi Emenike of the All Progressive Congress (APC), will know their fate at the election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia on October 6.
Judgment has been fixed for that day in a petition challenging the declaration of Dr. Otti as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
The Nation reports that Emenike had approached the court to seek Otti’s sack over allegations of non-resignation of his membership before joining the LP.
He also alleged that Otti’s name was not in the Labour Party’s register before his nomination as the party’s standard-bearer in the poll.
Also joined in the petition was the candidate of the PDP, Ahiwe; that of the Young Progressives Party, Nana Nwafor and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking to reporters, Otti’s lead counsel, Abiodun Owolekoko (SAN), said his team was optimistic that the judgment would favour his client.
However, counsel for Emenike, Tochukwu Maduka (SAN), claimed that the defendant’s lawyer failed to provide the Labour Party register where his name appeared.
He said his team prayed the court to cancel Otti’s votes, as well as those of the PDP and YPP candidates; and declare his client the lawful winner of the election, having scored the highest of lawful votes in the election.
Lead counsel for the PDP, Prof. Paul Anaba, said his team agreed with the petitioner to sack Otti, but noted that the PDP would benefit from the petition because the case of non-resignation as the chief of staff to the former holds no water in the eyes of the law.
