A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief (Dr.) David Onuoha-Bourdex, has said that by declaring Dr. Alex Otti winner of the Abia governorship election, the Court of Appeal spoke peace and justice to the hearts of Abia people.

He added that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was rejected in the state for the ‘electoral evils’ of imposition, intimidation and impunity.

Onuoha-Bourdex, who was also the candidate of APGA for Abia North Senatorial seat in the last election, noted that the entire people of Abia State rejected the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidates allegedly for their anti-democratic practices.

He claimed that political jobbers from the PDP national headquarters who were acted a script and for a fee swooped on the state to perpetrate the worst electoral heist in the history of the state adding that even when the masses expressed their preference for APGA, the PDP mercenaries employed mutilation, inflation of votes and arson to twist the outcome.
“Even at the election petition tribunals the overbearing and negative influence of PDP was brought to bear on the proceedings and decisions. The party used its peerless pedigree in election rigging and political corruption to purchase judgment,” he added pointing out that at last the Court of Appeal has spoken the minds of Abia people.

Making reference to his stolen mandate at the Abia North senatorial district, Onuoha-Bourdex expressed regrets that the tribunal closed its eyes to the monumental evidence of inflation of votes and mutilation of results by PDP and its candidate, Mao Ohuabunwa, just to deny him and APGA their well-earned victory.

The APGA chieftain lamented that the Appeal Court did not go through the moral highway to declare him winner remarking that given the groundswell of popular support and momentum generated by APGA in the state, it was not in doubt that Abia people prefer APGA and its candidates to those of the rampaging PDP.

While commending Dr. Alex Otti for waging the principled judicial battle against impunity and political brigandage, Onuoha-Bourdex also praised the five-member panel of Appeal Court judges, headed by Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, for taking judicial notice of the fact that the APGA candidate scored 164, 444 valid votes to trounce Ikpeazu of PDP, who scored 114, 444 votes.
“Every living soul in Abia State who saw what happened on April 12, 2015 knew that the cancellation of the elections held in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa local government areas by the returning officers after the results were uploaded to INEC, was wrong and carried out at the instance of PDP rigging mercenaries.”

Onuoha-Bourdex declared: “The Court of Appeal by its declaration of Dr. Otti as winner has wiped the tears on the faces of Abians, especially the young men that were killed for standing strong in the face of intimidation. The arson that took place and all under hand methods applied to justify the blood money given to PDP rigging mercenaries have come to naught. Abia has regained its political freedom.

Efforts made to get the PDP to respond to the claims by APGA proved abortive. As at the time of filing this report, the Abia State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Emma Nwaka, did not respond to the issues raised by Onuoha-Bourdex as he did not reply to the text message sent to his mobile telephone or return calls to the telephone.

It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri declined to order a rerun and directed INEC to issue Certificate of Return to Otti and swear him in as winner of the election having scored the highest number of legitimate votes at the April 12, 25 elections.