The election of Dr. Alex Otti, a member of the Labour Party, as the legitimate governor of Abia State has been confirmed by the Supreme Court.
In a decision on Friday, the supreme court rejected the argument that the nomination was unlawful, stating that endorsing a candidate is only a party matter.
The election of Dr. Alex Otti, a member of the Labour Party, as the legitimate governor of Abia State has been confirmed by the Supreme Court.
In a decision on Friday, the supreme court rejected the argument that the nomination was unlawful, stating that endorsing a candidate is only a party matter.
The APC and its candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, are represented by Abubakar Malami, a former Attorney General of the Federation, who has requested that the Supreme Court rule that Otti was not properly sponsored by the LP.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had proclaimed Otti winner of the Abia State governorship election with 175,467 votes.
Otti was trailed by PDP’s Okey Ahiwe and the YPP’s Enyinnaya Nwafor, with 88,529 and 28,972 votes, respectively.
But the PDP and APC disputed his election victory both at the Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court but lost out.
Otti’s votes were falsified, and the APC and PDP failed to present any proof to support their claims that Otti was not an LP member, according to the Lagos State Appeal Court, which dismissed the cases.
The appeals court further ruled that sponsorship and membership in political parties continue to be matters of internal party governance and pre-election concern.
Malami claimed that Otti and other respondents were not constitutionally protected when he urged the five-member panel of the highest court, which was presided over by Justice Inyang Okoro, to grant his appeal and overturn the ruling of the lower courts.
Otti’s attorney, Onyechi Ikpeazu, told the Supreme Court that nothing about the APC’s appeal was new because the Court had already stated that sponsorship and membership by a political party remained a matter for that party’s internal operations.
The PDP’s legal team claimed in court that Otti was shortchanged and his client was not given the full credit in Obingwa LGA, Abia state.
Ikpeazu pleaded with the highest court to support lower courts’ rulings regarding the non-compliance claims.
According to Supreme Court Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Otti legally joined the LP before to the March 18 governorship election.
