The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, has upheld the victory of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Abia North Senatorial election held on February 25, 2023.
The court dismissed the petitions filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mao Ohuabunwa, and Labour Party (LP) candidate, Nnamdi Iro Orji, challenging Kalu’s victory.
The appeal court judges, led by Justice Abiri JCA, affirmed the judgment of the National Assembly Petitions Tribunal, Umuahia, which had earlier dismissed the petitions. The court found that the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act and that there was no evidence to support the petitioners’ claims of irregularities.
The court also dismissed the petitioners’ arguments that the election was not held in over 120 polling units, mainly in Ohafia and Arochukwu Local Government Areas of the zone. The court ruled that these allegations were unsubstantiated and lacked merit.
In addition, the court rejected the LP candidate’s argument that Senator Kalu should be disqualified due to his alleged conviction for fraud. The court held that Kalu’s conviction had been nullified by the Supreme Court and that he was, therefore, eligible to contest the election.
