BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the 2019 governorship election in Abia State, Alex Otti, seeking to upstage Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Government House.
In a lead judgement delivered on Wednesday by Justice Hamiru Sanusi, the apex Court described Otti’s appeal as lacking in merit and therefore liable for dismissal.
The opinion of Justice Sanusi on the matter was unanimously adopted by other Justices on the appeal panel.
The APGA flag-bearer had earlier approached the Owerri division of the Appeal Court to challenge the Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling which upheld INEC’s declaration of Ikpeazu as the duly elected Governor of Abia State for a second term.
Not satisfied with the Appeal Court judgment dismissing his appeal, Otti approached the Supreme Court seeking to upturn the two unfavorable judgments in his battle to be declared as the validly elected Governor of Abia State during the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial elections.
Similarly, three other governors benefitted from the apex Court affirmation on the 2019 elections. They are Governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Abubakar Bello of Niger State and Ishaku Darius of Taraba State
