Appeal Court Upholds Verdict On Orji Kalu’s Election

The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, has delivered its final judgement on the election of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing the Abia-North senatorial district. In a unanimous ruling, the appellate court reaffirmed the victory of Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, November 6. Kalu’s media office disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja, on Monday, November 6.

The court said that the election of the former Abia Governor complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act. The court ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party’s Mao Ohuabunwa and Labour Party’s Nnamdi Iro Orji failed to prove their allegations of elections not being held in some polling units. Ohuabunwa and Iro have alleged that there was no election in over 120 polling units mainly in Ohafia and Arochukwu Local Government Areas of the zone.

The court also dismissed the attempt to disqualify Senator Kalu for having allegedly admitted before the Federal High Court that he was convicted of fraud. The panel of Justices held that there was no valid conviction of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu under Section 66 of the Nigerian Constitution as the said conviction had been nullified by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the former national organising secretary of the PDP, Colonel Austin Akobundu (Rtd), was reportedly declared by the Appeal Court as the rightful winner of Abia Central Senatorial District of Abia state. This development means that Labour Party (LP’s) Senator Darlington Nwokocha, would vacate his seat for Akobundu. Nwokocha is the current Senate minority whip.