The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri has dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2019 governorship election, in Abia State, Alex Otti, challenging the victory of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in the polls.

Ripples Nigeria reports that the court headed by Justice R. A. Adah, on Saturday, validated the emergence of Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner.

Justice Adah upheld the ruling of a three-man panel of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

The tribunal chaired by Justice A.L. Ogumoye, had dismissed the petition filed by 2019 APGA gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Alex Otti against the declaration of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu as winner.

Justice A.L. Ogumoye had ruled that the petitioner failed to prove the case of over voting, non-compliance with the INEC election guideline and electoral act.

Alex Otti had prayed the tribunal to cancel fifteen out of the seventeen local government areas election results in Abia State.

Otti claimed that the respondents, PDP, and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who was the governorship candidate of PDP, perpetrated excessive malpractice in those LGAs in the last March 9 2019 election conducted in the state.