On Monday, the Court of Appeal issued a judgment affirming Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as the winner of the Abia North Senatorial District in the February 25 election.
Presided over by Justice Abiri, the court upheld the earlier ruling by the Abia State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal.
The candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Nnamdi Iro Orji, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Mao Ohabunwa, expressed dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s decision.
However, the panel of justices unanimously deemed the appeal to be without merit.
They maintained that Senator Kalu had complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act. The appeal court judges also dismissed the arguments of both petitioners, who claimed that the election was not conducted in over 120 polling units, primarily in Ohafia and Arochukwu local government areas of the district.
Senator Kalu, a two-time lawmaker currently serving as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, was declared the winner of the fiercely contested February 25 senatorial election. He secured 30,805 votes, surpassing Nnamdi’s 27,540 votes. Mao Ohuabunwa of the PDP secured third place with 15,175 votes.
