Abia Governorship Tussle: Appeal Court Strikes Out Alex Otti’s Case

The five-man panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital, this morning unanimously struck out the appeal filed by the Abia State governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Alex Otti. It was on the strength of the preliminary objection by counsel to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr. Wole Olanipekun and the court further dismissed the entire case on merit having found the appeal unmeritorious.

According to Godwin Adindu, Chief Press Secretary to the Abia State Governor, Otti had approached the Owerri appellate court to challenge the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia which refused him extension of time to present more witnesses.

But, in their ruling this morning, the five-man panel, headed by Justice Jimmy Bada, found all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellant and in favour of the respondents and further described the attitude of Otti’s team of lawyers in handling of the tribunal proceedings as tardy and unserious.