Court affirms selection of Abia PDP members
The Owerri Divisional Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has upheld the victory of Mr. Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jr. as the lawmaker representing Obingwa West constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a petition filed by Labor Party (LP) candidate Victoria Onwibiko challenging her parliamentary election as without merit.
In a unanimous judgment handed down on Saturday, the court held that the petitioners had failed to prove that the election that produced King Erondu was marred by overvoting and voter disillusionment.
Mr Onwubiko prayed to the court to restart elections at 82 polling stations (PUs), but claimed that some of the other polling stations were disenfranchised.
However, this prayer was rejected by the Court of Appeals, which ruled that the appellant had not presented any evidence regarding the alleged voter disenfranchisement and argued that her lawyer’s speech was not admissible as a substitute for evidence in court. did.
The Court of Appeals further held that the appellants did not direct the voters concerned to come to court to prove that they were disenfranchised to vote on election day.
Reacting to the verdict, Rep. Hagler Okolie’s lead lawyer commended the court for ensuring that justice prevailed against all odds, adding that the verdict was a victory for democracy.
In his remarks, the Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emeka Eze, thanked the court for ensuring that justice prevailed in the matter, calling the judgment a victory for the rule of law.
Meanwhile, House Public Service Committee Chairman Erondu Jr. praised the ruling, noting that it was a victory for voters who hold democracy and its mission sacrosanct.
He thanked the court for its ruling and reiterated his promise to voters who continued to believe in him while the case continued in court.
The Uhie-born lawmaker promised not to disappoint voters.
Source: dailypost.ng