Abia: Otti’s Fate Hangs in the Balance as Governorship Election Tribunal Delivers Verdict Today

In a highly anticipated decision, the governorship election petition tribunal in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, is set to announce its judgment today regarding the petitions filed against Governor Alex Otti. These petitions were brought forward by Ikechi Emenike of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Okey Ahaiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Emenike, who ran as the APC gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 election, has urged the court, represented by his lead counsel, Tochukwu Maduka, SAN, to remove Governor Otti from office. Emenike alleges that Otti failed to resign his APC membership before joining LP in 2022 and claims that Otti’s name was not on the LP’s register when he was nominated as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 election.

Ikechi Emenike’s suit also involves Okey Ahaiwe of the PDP, Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents.

Okey Ahaiwe, the PDP candidate who secured the second position in the March 18 polls, is contesting the victory of Governor Otti. Ahaiwe, represented by his lead counsel, Paul Ananaba, SAN, implores the tribunal to thoroughly consider the evidence and arguments presented in court.

Prior to the adoption of written addresses, a PDP-subpoenaed witness, Samuel Oduntan, appeared before the tribunal to testify. Meanwhile, A.J. Owonikoko, the counsel to Governor Otti, urged the tribunal to dismiss all suits against his client and contended that Samuel Oduntan’s testimony was incompetent.

The SAN concluded by requesting the tribunal to uphold Governor Otti’s victory.

The buildup to today’s judgment has been marked by heated statements from various groups in Abia State. Supporters of the three contenders have issued numerous statements, some of which have become the subject of a media war in the state this week.

Earlier in the week, the State government refuted claims of sponsoring Mr. Obi’s court case against President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 election, as alleged by a group. The government also denied accusations of sponsoring the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to cause insecurity in Abia. In response, the PDP in the state, represented by Vice Chairman Abraham Amah, denied threatening tribunal members or backing any such groups.

In March, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) as the duly elected Governor of Abia, with 175,467 votes. Okey Ahaiwe of the PDP secured second place with 88,527 votes, while Enyinnaya Nwafor of the YPP came in third with 28,972 votes. The fate of Governor Otti now rests in the hands of the tribunal, which is set to deliver its judgment later today.