Abia guber tribunal reserves judgment in Otti, Ikpeazu’s election petition

(Nigeria) The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Umuahia, on Monday, reserved ruling in the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance , APGA, Dr Alex Otti.
Otti and APGA are, in their petition, challenging the declaration of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor of Abia and urged the tribunal to declare him the rightful winner of the poll.
Parties in the petition adopted their final written addresses during the tribunal’s sitting on Monday.
In his oral application before adopting his final written address, Counsel to Ikpeazu, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), raised objections regarding the filing of three separate addresses of 40 pages each by the petitioners.
Olanipekun said that the Electoral Act allowed parties in election petitions to file only one address of 40 pages, adding that the petitioners’ counsel could only adopt one out of the 120-page written addresses.
The objection was supported by the Counsel to the PDP, Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), but Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chief Solomon Awomolo (SAN), did not join tjem.
In his arguement, Counsel to the petitioners, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said that the arguement of the respondents, that the petitioners should be limited to a 40-page address to their three different addresses ‘’does not stand for justice’’.
Akeredolu said that the argument by the respondents ``is standing justice on its head,’’ adding that they did not cite any law to support the application.
He said that considering that the three respondents filed separate addresses, raising different issues the law allowed the petitioners to reply to their addresses distinctly.
Akeredolu said that ``it is late in the day for the respondents to file oral application,’’ after they had filed their replies to the petitioners address without raising an objection.
The tribunal chairman, Hon. Justice Usman Bwala, overruled the objection and allowed the adoption of the 120-page petitioners’ address in reply to the respondents’ final addresses.
Adopting their addresses, Olanipekun, Ikpeazu and Awomolo urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition, saying that the reliefs sought by the petitioners are ``ungrantable’’.
They argued that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of irregularities and substantial non-compliance to the Electoral Act.
Akeredolu, while adopting his address, however, urged the tribunal to give judgment in favour of the petitioners.
He said that the petitioners conceded that elections were duly conducted in 14 out of the 17 local government areas of the state.
Akeredolu said that the petitioners only contested that election did not take place in Obingwa, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Isialangwa North and Umuahia North Local Government Areas.
He said that on that ground, the burden ``has shifted to the respondents’’ to prove that that elections were duly conducted in those areas.
Akeredolu said that unfortunately, the respondents failed to do so, adding that ``even INEC did not call any witness to prove that it conducted elections in the three council areas’’.
Adjourning the case the chairman reserved judgment on the matter and said the date would be communicated to the parties in due course.
Meanwhile, Bwala had warned all the parties in the petition to refrain from sponsoring uncharitable publications that might denigrate the integrity of the tribunal.
He warned that appropriate measures would be taken against offenders.
Bwala was referring to advertorials in the newspapers which were brought to the notice of the tribunal by Olanipekun, who alleged that the content questioned the integrity of the judges.