The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition
Tribunal sitting in Umuahia has dismissed a petition filed against
the election of Senator Orji Kalu of Abia North.
Candidate of All Grassroots Alliance, AGA, Anagha Anagha, had
filed the petition claiming that he was unlawfully excluded from
the February 23 Abia North Senatorial election. Mr Anagha prayed
the tribunal to annul the election of the former Abia governor and
order a fresh one.
But Justice Cornelius Akintayo, leading a three-man panel on
Thursday in a unanimous judgement, ruled that Anagha, the first
petitioner, failed to prove his allegation of exclusion by the
first respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC.
Justice Akintayo said that all records at the panel’s disposal
indicated that the second petitioner, AGA, did not present any
candidate for the senatorial election. He added that Anagha, having
not been a candidate of any party, lacked legal standing to present
his case before the tribunal, and therefore dismissed his
petition.
The panel had earlier granted the application of AGA, seeking to
strike out its name from the petition on grounds that the first
petitioner was never nominated by it. The panel had on Tuesday
fixed September 9 for judgement in the matter between Mao Ohabunwa
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Kalu over the same Abia
North Senatorial District.
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