The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party as the duly elected governor of Abia State.
The apex court dismissed the challenge on Otti’s nomination, emphasizing that candidate sponsorship is a party affair.
Additionally, the court rejected the contested results of Obingwa local government, a blow to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and labeled the appeal by Okey Ahiwe as “lacking in merit.”
Background
The legal saga began when Ahiwe and the PDP challenged Otti’s eligibility, alleging that he was not a registered Labour Party member and had forged his NYSC certificate.
However, the tribunal ruled against the petitioners, emphasizing that pre-election matters were beyond its jurisdiction. In December 2023, the Court of Appeal in Lagos affirmed Otti’s election, setting the stage for the recent Supreme Court ruling.
The five-member panel, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, affirmed that the PDP had no right to question Alex Otti’s nomination by the Labour Party, stating that the appeal should not have reached this level.
This ruling follows months of legal battles initiated by Ahiwe and the PDP after Otti’s victory in the March 2023 elections, where Otti secured 175,466 votes against Ahiwe’s 88,529.
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