The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, Abia State on Thursday dismissed Dr. Orji Kalu’s petition challenging the March 5 rerun election for Abia North Senatorial District
Delivering a nine-hour judgment, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice James Abundaga, said the petition was incompetent and lacking in merit.
Abundaga also said Kalu failed to prove his allegations that the election was marred by thuggery and violence.
He said the reliefs sought by Kalu were vague, nebulous, incomprehensible, ambiguous and lacking in precision.
Abundaga ordered that over 4,200 votes which, he said, were wrongly credited to Kalu in Umumenyi ward in Bende Local Government Area, be deducted from his 25,814 votes.
He affirmed the declaration of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as duly elected in the rerun.
Kalu, who was the candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance in the election, challenged the election of Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Kalu alleged over-voting and wrong computation of figures in favour of Ohuabunwa, contending that the respondent did not score the highest number of lawful votes cast and was not validly elected.
He also alleged that armed thugs fomented violence and snatched ballot boxes at some polling units and wards during the re-run.
The former governor of Abia State, therefore, urged the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Ohuabunwa as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Kalu alleged that the Returning Officer and a lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Dr. Bertrand Nwankwojike, who initially declared the result of the election inconclusive, was “pressured” to later announce the result.
Ohuabunwa polled 26,009 votes to defeat Kalu, who was earlier credited with 25,814 votes.
Kalu’s counsel, Perfect Okorie, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment and said that they would appeal.
The election of Ohuabunwa was nullified by the Court of Appeal, holden in Owerri, which ordered a rerun in the senatorial district.
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