The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, has upheld the election of the Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu..
A three-man panel led by Justice Samson Paul-Gang, in an unanimous ruling on Tuesday, dismissed the petition filed by his Peoples’ Democratic Party opponent, Mao Ohuabunwa and Labour Party’s Nnamdi Iro-Orji for lacking merit.
The tribunal also ruled that the election of Kalu, who contested on the platform of of the All Progressives Congress (APC), complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The arguments of the petitioners that election did not hold in over 120 polling units mainly in Ohafia and Arochukwu local government areas of the zone were faulted by the tribunal judges.
Iro-Orji and Ohuabunwa who came second and third respectively, in their separate suits, had prayed the tribunal to overturn the election of the former Governor of Abia State as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging irregularities.
The tribunal also discountenanced the arguments of the PDP and Labour Party that the total number of registered voters in the allegedly affected polling units was far above the margin of win between Kalu and the first and second runners-up.
On Kalu’s eligibility, the tribunal ruled that the Senator was eligible to contest the election stating that his trial and conviction were quashed by the Supreme Court.
Ripples Nigeria reports that Kalu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, was declared winner of the February 25 senatorial election by INEC having scored 30,805 votes to defeat Iro-Orji and Ohuabunwa who got 27,540 and 15,175 respectively