Orji Kalu loses to Ohuabunwa at election tribunal

The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State yesterday upheld the election of Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected senator for Abia.

His Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) rival, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, had challenged Ohuabunwa’s victory in the March 5, 2016 re-run election.

According to the result announced by INEC, Ohuabunwa polled 26,009 votes followed by Kalu’s 25,814, APGA’s Bourdex Onuoha 13,692 while the Labour Party candidate, Nnezi Okoro, got 407.

The tribunal’s chairman, Mr. Justice James Abundaga, ruled that Kalu failed to prove some of his allegations that Ohuabunwa was not elected by majority of lawful votes, that voting was inconclusive in some wards, evidence of over-voting, thuggery, voting by many unregistered voters, harassment of voters among others.

Abundaga enjoined aggrieved parties opposed to the tribunal’s judgment to appeal.

Counsel to Kalu, Mr. Perfect Okorie, told journalists that his client did not accept the judgment and would appeal against it.