Alex Otti: APGA candidate

The Chairman of the Abia State Election Tribunal, Justice Usman Bwala, has ordered Independent National Electoral Commission to avail Dr Alex Otti, the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, with the right electoral materials for inspection.

Bwala’s order followed complaints by Otti’s lead Counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi, that INEC was colluding with PDP to frustrate the forensic inspection of electoral materials.

Olujinmi told the tribunal that INEC brought electoral materials used during the presidential as well as State and National Assemblies’ elections rather than the ones used for the governorship polls.

He said that the order granted to his client to inspect the materials did not indicate joint inspection with the first and second respondents and expressed regret that the respondents had been putting a clog in the process.

He said that the petitioners were contesting the election results from specific local government areas, including Obingwa, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Isalangwa North and Umuahia North and needed to inspect materials from those areas.

‘’When we requested for materials from Osisioma, INEC brought materials from Aba North and in collusion with PDP, insisted that we should go ahead with the ones that were available.

‘’They are stalling the process and wasting the time allotted by the tribunal for the inspection,’’ Olujinmi said.

But counsels to Ikpeazu and INEC, Okorie and Mr Chubuike Nwokeukwu, denied the allegation of collusion.

They said that the participation of Ikpeazu and PDP’s counsels in the inspection was in line with the tribunal’s order for joint inspection of the materials.