Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, says with the revalidation of his victory at the polls on Apri 11, 2015, by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, he has been given more impetus to develop the state.

Reacting to his victory at the tribunal which yesterday dismissed the petition by his rival, Dr Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Okezie maintained that the legal victory was for all Abians as there was no victor, no vanquished.

He expressed gratitude to God for making the tribunal to affirm his victory as the duly elected governor of Abia.

Speaking with journalists after the tribunal verdict at Government House, Umuahia, the governor thanked the people of Abia for the mandate they have given him to serve them, adding that the tribunal verdict would energise him to serve the people with greater vigour.

Ikpeazu said: “We have been given further impetus to continue the development of Abia State and we know that God will be with us all through the journey.

“We seize this opportunity once again to call on all aggrieved parties to show some sense, of patriotism to join hands with us in the service of our people.

“For me, there is no victor, there is no vanquished. Victory today is victory for Abians, is victory for service, is victory for continued development of the downtrodden amongst us and I thank God. To God be the glory.”

Earlier, the Governorship Election Petiton Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, had affirmed Ikpeazu as duly elected in the governorship election held in the state last April as the Tribunal dismissed the petition filed against him by Otti.

Otti had gone to the tribunal to challenge the return of Ikpeazu by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the duly elected governor of Abia following the April 11 poll and the subsequent supplementary poll of April 25, 2015.

But in a judgment that lasted 2hours and 45 minutes, the tribunal unanimously upheld the election of Ikpeazu, who had contested the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Reading the tribunal’s ruling, its chairman, Justice Usman Bwala, noted that the petitioner and his party failed to prove their allegations beyond reasonable doubt and the 20 witnesses that testified for them were bundle of contradictions.

The tribunal faulted the apparent over reliance of the petitioners on card reader to prove his allegation of over voting, saying that the card reader was a creation of a subsidiary legislation and not a substantive law.

According to him, the petitioner only considered the card reader without making any reference to the voters register, stressing that the reliefs he sought “are not grantable.”

“Using of the card reader is not the only means of accreditation (of voters), he said, adding that there was no way the card reader would replace the voters register, which is the statutory document that contains the names of people eligible to vote in the election,” the tribunal ruled.

Otti had sought five reliefs including the cancellation of the election result and for the tribunal to declare him as the rightful winner of the governorship poll. However the tribunal held that the petitioner contradicted himself by asking to be declared winner in an election he wanted to be cancelled.

The petitioner had asked for cancellation of election results from Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North local governments, citing irregularities but the tribunal said that the allegations were not proved beyond reasonable doubt as the eye witnesses brought by the petitioners were a bundle of contradictions.

On the issue of preliminary allegations of violence, intimidation, bribery, among other malpractices, the tribunal chairman held that the petitioner could not convincingly prove the allegations. For instance, the tribunal noted that the petitioners’ witness who alleged that he was offered N1 million bribe did not report the incident to the police, EFCC or any other law enforcement agency.

While the petitioners laboured to prove their allegations, they also made efforts to shift the burden of proof to the respondents to dispose, which the tribunal said was contrary to the provision of the Evidence Act that “he who asserts must prove.”

Expectedly the tribunal verdict has elicited different reactions from the parties concerned.

State chairman of PDP! Senator Emma Nwaka, said the verdict was not surprising because the people of Abia overwhelmingly voted for PDP as the ruling party worked hard for its victory.

But for the presence of the national chairman of the APGA, Dr Victor Ike Oye, the party’s supporters would have gone on rampage as they were hit by the ruling like a thunderbolt. Oye laboured to calm frayed nerves of hundreds of the opposition supporters that gathered at the party secretariat.

Speaking from the balcony of the storey building, Oye told his party people to remain calm and not take the law into their hands. He said that the party leadership would take the fight to a higher level.

He told the downcast party faithful that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari “does not tolerate this type of thing,” adding that they would petition Mr. President over the “travesty of justice.”

To prevent outbreak of violence given the threats made by the opposition after the unfavourable verdicts from the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunals, security was tightened around the state capital while delivery of the judgment lasted.

Both the Police and the Army and Department of State Security (DSS) personnel were mobilized in full force with complements of arms and armoured personnel carriers stationed at strategic positions. There was heavy security presence along Ikot Ekpene Road where both the state high court, venue of the tribunal and APGA secretariat are located.

•Photo by Ibeabuchi Abarikwu shows Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (middle) flanked on the left by his deputy Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu and on the right by the State PDP Chairman Sen. Emma Nwaka celebrating with the governor after the tribunal affirmed his victory in Umuahia.

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