An Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State in a unanimous decision has upheld the victory of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti at the polls, stressing that it conformed with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The court of dismissed the appeals brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their governorship candidates against Otti’s victory.

The appellate court ruled that petitions brought by the appellants lacked in merit, as they were like “a comedy skit brought to a democratic setting”.

The court said issues of political party membership is a pre-election matter, which also falls within the jurisdiction of the political party.

It further said since Otti joined the Labour Party, won its primary election and submitted his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he was qualified to contest.

On the issues of Bimodial Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, brought by the PDP and its candidate, the appeal court said the appellants failed to demonstrate or link their documentary evidence to the specific parts of the case.

Meanwhile, the PDP while reacting to the judgment in a statement signed by the party’s acting State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah advised its members to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law-abiding.

The statement reads, “The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to the judgement of the three-man panel of Appeal Court judges which sat in Lagos and upheld the decision of the Abia Election Petition Tribunal which had affirmed Alex Otti as the winner of the March 18, 2023 Abia governorship election following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“Following the judgement of the Appeal Court, the Abia PDP assures its members, numerous supporters across Party lines and the good people of Abia State to remain calm as the Party leadership is meeting with the governorship candidate and his running mate and the legal team to review the judgement of the Appeal Court and come up with the next line of action.

“Abia PDP uses this opportunity to reiterate its confidence in the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man and one of the strongest pillars of our democracy.

“We call on members of the PDP, our numerous supporters and sympathisers and the good people of Abia State to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law-abiding and put our hope and trust in God and in the Judiciary as we explore the options available to us.

“We also call on the good people of Abia who have been suffering under the bad policies of Alex Otti to know that the Party would never abandon them.”

The Abia State PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections, Chief Okey Ahiwe   reacting to the verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos which, upheld the verdict of the Abia State Elections Petitions Tribunal delivered on October 6, 2023 upholding the declaration of Dr. Alex Otti by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the duly elected Governor of Abia State in the 2023 Governorship and House of Assembly Elections.

Reacting to the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Chief Ahiwe said no one should panic, while expressing deep gratitude to God, his numerous supporters across political party lines, his dynamic legal team, family, friends, and well-wishers.

In his words, “When we embarked on the journey to reclaim our mandate through judicial processes, it was a calculated resolution and we were conscious that the journey would not be a sprint but a peculiar marathon with inevitable twists and turns. Our destination was clearly defined from the onset, and our focus is unchanged. So, at this juncture, our faith in God is renewed, as well as our solid confidence in the judiciary. I therefore encourage all my supporters to stay calm, keep praying to God, and look beyond the eclipse of transitional sunset.”

Chief Ahiwe while extolling the courage and tenacity of his legal team, urged his supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding, assuring that his legal team would diligently study the judgment of the Court of Appeal, and advise on critical options to guide him and the leadership of the PDP in taking a decision.