... validates election of Nwifuru as Ebonyi governor
The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Dr Alex Otti, OFR, as governor of Abia State.
The apex court's five-member panel led by Uwani Abba-Aji, dismissed the appeal filed by Okey Ahiwe, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for “lacking in merit”.
The apex court equally dismissed the appeal filed by Ikechi Emenike, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
INEC had in March 2023, declared Otti, of the Labour Party (LP) was declared winner of the governorship election in Abia after he polled 175,466 votes to defeat Ahiwe of the PDP who scored 88,529 votes.
Aggrieved, Ahiwe and his party challenged the outcome of the election at the tribunal.
They contended that Otti was not qualified to run for the election because he was not a registered member of the LP and forged his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
The tribunal ruled that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations against the respondent.
The tribunal also held that the contention over Otti’s qualification to contest the election was a pre-election matter that the tribunal cannot adjudicate on.
In December 2023, the court of appeal affirmed Otti’s election.
Similarly, the apex court on Friday, affirmed the election of Francis Nwifuru as governor of Ebonyi State, and dismissed the appeal by Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the outcome on the grounds of electoral malpractice.
Odii had also contented that Nwifuru was not properly sponsored by his political party for the March 2023 election.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Tijani Abubakar, who led a five-member panel of the court, held that the appeal was always going “to fall like a pack of cards”.
“It is unmeritorious and is dismissed,” the court ruled.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in March last year, declared Nwifuru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as winner of the Ebonyi governorship election after he polled 199, 131 votes.
Ifeanyi Odii of the PDP secured 80, 191 votes, according to what the commission declared.
Bernard Odoh, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), polled a distant third with 52, 189 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Odii and Odoh had approached the tribunal, asking it to nullify Nwifuru’s victory and declare them winner.
They noted that Nwifuru was not a valid member of the APC at the time he contested the election.
In September 2023, the tribunal dismissed the petitioners’ petition and affirmed the victory of Nwifuru as the duly elected governor of the state.
The court of appeal also dismissed their appeals and affirmed Nwifuru’s election.
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