Hon. Frank Chinasa, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Bende Federal Constituency election in Abia State, has officially relinquished his claim to the seat, allowing the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to retain his victory.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Friday, Chinasa cited his deep concern for the constituency as the driving force behind his decision to withdraw any further legal actions.
This decision comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Benjamin Kalu the winner of the February 25 election, securing 10,020 out of the 22,308 total votes. Dissatisfied with the results, Chinasa had sought recourse through the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, with the hope of overturning Kalu’s victory.
However, the tribunal recently upheld Benjamin Kalu’s declaration as the victor of the February poll, effectively ending the legal battle.
Although there were speculations that Chinasa might pursue an appeal to challenge the tribunal’s ruling, he confirmed to journalists on Friday that he has chosen to forego any further litigation and pledged his support to Benjamin Kalu.
In his statement, Chinasa emphasized the shared commitment between himself and the Deputy Speaker in serving the people of Bende. He described Kalu as not only a political ally but also a longstanding friend, emphasizing their common goal of providing effective representation to their constituents.
Chinasa remarked, “I am here to inform the world that I am no longer interested in taking the matter any further beyond the tribunal. This simply means that I have decided to let go of the case. Kalu and I have a history that has run into decades which cannot be ruined by the transient political activities of today. First, we are brothers from Bende. We are also good friends and we intrinsically share the same objective of good representation of our people.”
