The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, on Tuesday, upholds the election of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as senator representing Abia North senatorial district.
Delivering the judgment on the petitions filed by both Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party, LP, Justice Samson Paul -Gang -led three- man panel, resolved all petitions in favour of Sen Kalu, as the Respondents.
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Justice Gang who read the unanimous judgment, held that there was a substantial compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election.
He said on the issue of disenfranchisement of voters in some of the wards, that the growing sympathy for separatist movement in the South East could have accounted for that, adding that there was no guarantee that they would have participated in any re-scheduled election.
The tribunal also held that the Supreme Court had already quashed the claims that Kalu was not qualified to stand election following his alleged imprisonment over financial fraud.
Unity Times reported that the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa had approached the tribunal to seek the nullification of the election, arguing that Kalu did not win majority of the lawful votes.
He also alleged massive disenfranchisement of voters arguing that election did not hold in over 120 polling units mainly in Ohafia and Arochukwu Local Government Areas, and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had during a press conference on Sunday, February 26, admitted that election would be rescheduled in the affected areas.
Ohuabunwa had through his lawyers argued that while voters in the affected polling units, which he claimed were his strongholds, were getting ready for the re-scheduled election, INEC, “hastily” declared Kalu winner of the contest.
He had also argued that the total number of registered voters in the affected polling units was far above the margin of win between Kalu and the first and second runner-ups.
But the Respondents, Sen Kalu , APC and INEC, had through their legal team, urged the tribunal to discountenance the claims by the Petitioners and throw away the petition.
It is not yet clear if the petitioners would appeal the judgement.