PDP Speaks Up in Response to Alex Otti’s Removal as Governor-Elect of Abia State

After Dr. Alex Otti was disqualified from serving as the governor-elect of Abia State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) responded.

The PDP has refuted Otti’s assertions that the PDP and the Abia State Government were behind a deliberate plot to remove him following the recent Kano Federal High Court ruling that led to his dismissal.

According to Ferdinand Ekeoma, the spokesperson for Otti, reports that the PDP and the Abia State Government were behind were unfounded and misleading.

However, the party acknowledged the decision made by the Federal High Court in Kano in a press release issued by Hon. Elder Abraham Amah, the Abia PDP vice chairman and acting state publicity secretary.

Remember that the Labour Party was found to have violated the 2022 Electoral Act by failing to submit its member list to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the allotted 30-day period prior to the primaries, rendering Otti and other Labour Party candidates in Abia State ineligible for their positions.

Amah clarified that Mr. Ibrahim Haruna-Ibrahim was the one who submitted the application to invalidate the certificates of return given to all Labour Party candidates who were declared winners in the states of Kano and Abia.

The PDP emphasized that the court approved Mr. Ibrahim’s request after basing its decision on the provisions of the amended Electoral Act.

The statement emphasized once more that neither the Abia governor-elect nor the Labour Party had been the target of legal action brought by the Abia PDP in Kano’s Federal High Court.

However, the vice chairman claims that the Abia PDP has instructed its legal team to carefully review the judgment because it is a responsible political party.

In addition, the Abia PDP has already filed a petition with the Abia State Election Petition Tribunal accusing the incoming governor and the Labour Party of rigging the election. In order to reclaim what it sees as its legitimate mandate, the party is also looking into other legal options.

The PDP urged the residents of Abia State to maintain their composure and peace during this time, assuring them that justice will ultimately triumph once the Election Petition Tribunal issues its ruling.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Labour Party were sued in the case (Suit No FHC/KN/CS/107/2023) brought by Mr. Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim. The court determined that the Labour Party’s primary election process was invalid because it failed to submit its membership register to INEC within the required timeframe.

As a result, the judge determined that the votes cast for the first defendant (Labour Party) were wasted votes because the party had violated the electoral act’s provisions regarding having a candidate and declaring an election winner.