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Former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu have had a bad as the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in the state nullified the the 2019 election as the Senator representing Abia North.
According to report, the tribunal has also ordered for a rerun election for the Abia North Senatorial District.
The judgement, which was delivered on Monday by a member of the tribunal’s panel, Justice I.P.C Igwe, the panel said that the petitioner had successfully proved his allegation of substantial non-compliance with the guidelines on conduct of elections.
The the judgement, which was unanimously delivered, stressed that since all parties were in agreement that elections took place peacefully in all parts of the senatorial zone, the first respondent, INEC, failed in its duty to ensure that all polling units were duly recorded in the relevant ward and local government result sheets.
The panel frowned at the exclusion of over 30,000 votes from Arochukwu local government area alone without INEC giving a good reason for the development, adding that the figure the poll was much higher than the 10,000 votes with which the second respondent, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, was leading the petitioner.
It therefore ordered supplementary elections in all the affected areas within ninety days and the results duly collated and winner announced.
While reacting to the tribunal verdict, Mr Mike Onyeka, counsel to Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, hailed the judgement, noting that it had heightened his confidence in the judiciary.
Kalu, until today, was a Senator under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was inaugurated alongside other federal lawmakers for the 9th National Assembly.
