THE Abia State Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the March 18 poll, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, has petitioned the election tribunal challenging the outcome of the poll, saying he should be declared winner as the only qualified candidate.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on March 22, 2023 declared Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party, LP as winner of the poll contested by 18 flagbearers.

In his petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Emenike contended that Otti and the other main candidates that participated in the race were not qualified.

According to him, Otti’s candidacy was incompetent as he was not a member of LP when he contested the governorship poll having joined to the party lately before the poll.

In the case of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Okey Ahiwe, who came second in the poll, Emenike contended that he had not relinquished his position as chief of staff to the Abia governor before he emerged as replacement candidate.

Emenike further averred that the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party YPP, Enyinnaya Nwafor, was unfit to have become the party’s candidate having participated in the PDP governorship primary.

He, therefore, asked the tribunal to make a declaration to the effect that the candidates presented by other political parties were not qualified to have contested for the Abia governorship seat on March 18, 2023.

Emenike stated that he remains the only candidate that was qualified as a governorship flag bearer and urged the tribunal to declare him the rightful winner of the Abia governorship poll. (Vanguard)