By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—Governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the last elections in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has filed a petition at the Abia State Election Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, against INEC’s declaration of PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as winner of the poll. In the petition, Otti is praying the tribunal to declare him the rightful winner of the election on the grounds that Ikpeazu was wrongly declared winner.

Otti is contesting the declaration of Ikpeazu as the winner of the election on the grounds that the said election was fraught with malpractices and not conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act. He is, therefore, asking the tribunal to cancel votes from Obingwa Council where he alleged that election did not hold and Osisioma, Isiala Ngwa North and Ugwunagbo  local government areas where he alleged there were huge electoral malpractices.

Briefing journalists at the premises of Federal High Court, venue of the tribunal sitting, the legal adviser of Dr. Alex Otti Campaign Organization, Mr. Ken Ahia, disclosed that the legal team would be led by Chief Akin Olujimi. Ahia said that Otti was asking the court to declare him the rightful winner of the election because he won the election but had his mandate stolen.

“This is the continuation of the electoral process. Abians voted overwhelmingly for Dr. Alex Otti but that mandate was stolen; we here in the court to retrieve the mandate. “So today we have filed the petition, asking that Dr. Alex Otti be declared the rightful winner of the 2015 elections,” he said. Joined as defendants are Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Peoples Democratic Party, Independent Electoral Commission, among others.