The All Progressives Congress in Abia State has rejected the verdict of the state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed the election of Dr Alex Otti in the March 18, 2023 election.
State chairman of the party, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, stated this yesterday while reacting to the verdict which was delivered on Friday by a member of the tribunal, Justice Omolara Adeyemi.
He said; “This judgement handed down by the three-man panel is the mother of miscarriage of justice. It is unacceptable and we reject it.
“We condemn unequivocally the judgement of the tribunal. Consequently, we have instructed our legal team to appeal the judgement immediately.
“It is obvious that justice was strangulated, more so, and very worrisome is that the judiciary may no longer be the hope of the common man if justice continues to be debased.”
According to Ononogbu, they had approached the tribunal chaired by Justice H. D. D. Gwada with fundamental issues that questioned non-compliance and qualifications as required by the Electoral Act.
“We provided substantial evidence and facts in support of our petition but were surprised and shocked that the tribunal closed its eyes against the evidence and averted justice.
“The people are aware that extraneous forces were at play during the proceedings. There was a high-ranking individual whose inappropriate presence during one of the proceedings was viewed with suspicion.
“It was part of the machinations to intimidate, coax and arm-twist the judges in order to pervert justice and deliver judgement in favour of a particular client, irrespective of abundant evidences before the tribunal,” he said.
He called on the supporters, members of the party and the people of Abia State to remain calm, keep faith in the judiciary and be of good courage as all hope is not lost.
Explaining that the party would not be deterred by what he described as a temporary setback, he maintained that the members are confident that in the end, justice and rule of law would prevail.