The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Alex Otti, who was declared the winner of the Abia State gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, has been disqualified by a Federal High Court in Kano.
The court ruled that Otti and all the candidates of the LP in Abia and Kano States failed to comply with the provisions of the 2022 electoral act.
According to the court, presided over by Justice M N Yunusa, the LP did not submit its membership register to INEC within 30 days before its primaries, which rendered the process invalid. The court also said that the votes credited to Otti were wasted votes, as he was not a valid candidate in the election.
The suit was filed by Mr Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the LP and INEC, challenging the legality of Otti’s candidature. Otti had polled 175,467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 88,529 votes. He had also won 10 out of the 17 local government areas in the state.
The court’s verdict has thrown the state into confusion, as it is not clear who will be sworn in as the governor of Abia State on May 29, 2023. The PDP candidate, Ahiwe, has hailed the judgment as a victory for democracy and justice. He said he was confident that he would be declared the rightful winner of the election by INEC.
However, Otti has vowed to appeal the judgment at a higher court. He said he was not deterred by the court’s decision, as he believed that he had the mandate of the people of Abia State.
He urged his supporters to remain calm and peaceful, as he was optimistic that he would reclaim his victory at the appellate court.
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