By Peregba Jerry
A few hours after the affirmation of the March 18 victory of Alex Otti by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC has rejected the judgement, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Abia State, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, said, “This verdict handed down by the three-man panel is the mother of miscarriage of justice. It is unacceptable and we reject it.
“We condemn unequivocally the judgement of the tribunal. Consequently, we have mandated our legal team to appeal the judgement of the tribunal.
“With this judgement today, it is obvious that justice was strangulated; more so, and very worrisome is that the court may no longer be the hope of the common man if justice continues to be debased.”
The statement added, “As a party, we approached the tribunal with fundamental issues that question Non-compliance and qualifications. We provided substantial evidence and facts in support of our petitions but were surprised that the tribunal closed its eyes against all the evidence before it and averted justice.
“Abia is aware that extraneous forces were at play during the proceedings. There was a high-ranking individual whose inappropriate presence during one of the proceedings was viewed with suspicion.
“It was part of the machinations to intimidate, coax and arm-twist the judges to pervert justice and deliver judgement in favour of a particular client, irrespective of abundant evidence before the tribunal.
“This undoubtedly, may have fuelled the audacity and open display of provocative arrogance by Labour Party led Abia State government, which had predicted the possible outcome of the judgement and switched into an excitement and celebration mood, a week before the verdict.”
Speaking further, Ononogbu said, “Regrettably, the Abia Election Petition Tribunal could not brush off or borrow courage to defeat intimidation to deliver justice as exemplified recently, by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
“We, therefore, call on our teaming supporters, members of our party and good people of Abia to remain calm, keep faith in the judiciary and be of good courage as all hope is not lost.
“We will not be deterred by this temporary setback. We are confident that in the end, justice and the rule of law will prevail, knowing that “Though the wheels of justice turn slowly, it grinds exceedingly fine”.
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