The Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Alex Otti, confirming him as the legitimately elected governor of Abia State.
The five-member panel of justices, led by Uwani Abba-Aji, dismissed the appeal by Okey Ahiwe, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), deeming it “lacking in merit.”
Recall that Otti of the LP emerged victorious in the Abia State governorship election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 22. Securing 175,466 votes, Otti surpassed his closest competitor, Ahiwe of the PDP, who garnered 88,529 votes.
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Following Otti’s win, both Ahiwe and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Ikechi Emenike, individually contested the election results at the tribunal.
However, on October 6, 2023, the tribunal dismissed the petitions from Ahiwe and Emenike, upholding Otti’s election victory.