The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed Wednesday, January 8th, 2020 to deliver judgment in the appeal filed by the 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, challenging the reelection of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for a second term.
It will be recalled that the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital and headed by Justice R.A Adah, had on Saturday, struck out the appeal filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the 2019 governorship election in Abia State, Alex Otti, and validated Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Earlier before the appeal court judgment, a three-man panel of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia state capital, and 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.
The tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to prove the case of over-voting, non-compliance to the INEC election guideline and the electoral act.
Alex Otti had prayed the tribunal to cancel fifteen out of the seventeen local government areas election results in Abia State, alleging that the respondents, 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.
However, in a terse statement forwarded to DAILY POST on Monday morning which read,”IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA HOLDEN AT ABUJA.
SC 1465/2019: Dr. Alex Otti & Anor V. INEC & Ors.
“TAKE NOTICE that the above Appeal will be listed for hearing before the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday the 8th day of January, 2020 at 9.00Hours”.
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