The Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia granted the Labour Party and Abia State governor‑elect, Alex Otti, permission to jointly inspect the election materials with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide the Labour Party with a Certified True Copy of all governorship nominations, ranging from the late Prof. Uche Ikonne to Okey Ahiwe. This includes official correspondence between the PDP and INEC regarding the party’s Abia deputy governorship candidate(s).
Earlier, the tribunal had approved the PDP’s request, along with its candidate’s, to inspect the materials used in the governorship election. The PDP and its candidate had approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of the Labour Party’s candidate, Otti, as the winner—a move many analysts described as bizarre given the overwhelming victory of the LP candidate at the polls.
Otti’s victory, which sparked unprecedented celebrations across the state, was officially declared and returned almost four days after the election concluded, following a stalemate. The delay followed allegations of violence and intimidation directed at INEC staff and Labour Party collation agents.
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