Abia: Group protests Kano court ruling disqualifying Otti’s candidature

Some indigenes of Abia State, under the aegis of United Abia Artistes and Patriots, have protested against a ruling by a Federal High Court in Kano State that purportedly nullified the election of Abia State Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti of the Labour Party.

The organisation said the judgement should be regarded as a joke that would not stand the test of time.

The Convener and Secretary of UAPP, Osita Offor, and Legal Adviser, Chuks Akamadu, said that the Federal High Court did not issue an order on Otti because the court was “somewhat conscious of its powers and artfully played around the booby trap” set for it by the Peoples Democratic Party and Abia state government.

Akamadu said that the case brought by the petitioners was a pre-election matter and under Section 285(14)(a) of the Electoral Act, the Kano meddlesome interloper who initiated the suit had no locus standi as he was not an aspirant in LP.

Consequently, he called on the judiciary to refrain from entertaining ill-conceived suits designed to embarrass it as a temple of justice or bring the institution to odium and allow Dr Alex Otti to focus on fixing our badly battered state for us

He said, “Abia State is precious to us and the people have suffered so much hardship and deprivation, we demand that the judiciary should henceforth refrain from entertaining ill-conceived suits that are clearly designed to embarrass it as temple of justice or bring the institution to odium and allow Dr Alex Otti to focus on fixing our badly battered state for us

“Abia State at the moment is the most peaceful state in South-East, judiciary should not allow itself to be used to destroy the peace of the state or put it in harm’s way.

“We demand an immediate end to mischief-making and all acts that are capable of hurting Abia’s democratic journey by the soon-to-expire gang of political profiteers, else they would have the full wrath of highly inflammable Abia masses to contend with.”

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