Tension Grips Abia As Ikpeazu, Otti Know Fate Today

The political temperature in Abia State rose sharply monday as news filtered that the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia would deliver its verdict today.

The petition filed by the governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Alex Otti, challenging the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the only case for determination.

The high level anxiety being generated by the petition was due to the stiff opposition that APGA gave PDP, which had held sway in the state for most of the period, except for the three year brief period that the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) was in government before the then governor defected to the PDP.

The governorship election held on April 11, 2015 in the state ended inconclusively thereby necessitating a supplementary poll of April 25, 2015.

Consequently the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after collating the final tally, declared Ikpeazu winner with 264,713 valid votes as against 180,882 scored by his Otti, his closest rival.

The APGA candidate was dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, claiming that the election was marred by malpractices and specifically asked for the result from Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa should be cancelled.

Both parties had adopted their written addresses on October 19, 2015, during which counsel to the first respondent, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, objected to the filing of three separate addresses of 40 pages each by the respondents.

He told the tribunal that the petitioners should be limited to only 40-page address but counsel to the petitioner, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, countered it, saying the petitioners were entitled to separate addresses.

Ikpeazu had through his counsel urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition of Otti and his party, insisting that the reliefs sought by the petitioners “are ungrantable” as the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

However, Akeredolu in adopting the written address of the petitioner, said the petitioners conceded that governorship election duly took place in 14 out of the 17 local governments.

He then argued that since election did not take place in Obingwa, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, and Isiala Ngwa North the burden of proof had shifted to the respondents to show that polls were duly held in those areas, adding that even INEC could not bring a witness to testify in its favour.

With the angry reactions from the opposition generated by verdicts delivered by the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal there have been fears of violent protests. But whatever becomes the outcome of the legal tussle, it’s almost certain that it would continue at the appellate level.