Kalu retains Senate seat, defeats PDP, Labour Party at tribunal

The Abia-North senatorial district was represented by Senator Orji Kalu, whose win was validated by the Nationwide Meeting Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia on February 25.

Tuesday’s unanimous resolution by a three-person panel chaired by Justice Samson Paul-Gang dismissed the plea of Mao Ohuabunwa of the Individuals’s Democratic Occasion and Nnamdi Iro-Orji of the Labour Occasion for lack of substance.

The court docket acknowledged that Kalu’s election met with the Electoral Act’s stipulations whereas affirming his victory and that of the All Progressives Congress.

The tribunal judges additionally discovered fault with the petitioners’ claims that the election was invalid at greater than 120 voting locations, principally within the zone’s Ohafia and Arochukwu Native Authorities Areas.

Iro-Orji and Ohuabunwa, the runner-up and third-place finishers in separate lawsuits, argued that there have been irregularities within the former Abia Governor’s election and urged the court docket to annul it.

The PDP and Labour Occasion’s rivalry that the full variety of registered voters within the allegedly affected polling stations was considerably greater than the margin of victory between Kalu and the primary and second runners-up was additionally rejected by the tribunal.

The Supreme Courtroom’s resolution to overturn Kalu’s trial and conviction was cited by the Courtroom in assist of his constitutional capacity to run for workplace.
The tribunal judges additionally interpreted and resolved two additional Labour Occasion challenges to Kalu’s election, confirming Kalu because the senator of Abia North who was legitimately elected.

Within the hotly contested senatorial election on February 25, Kalu, who presently serves because the chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialization, was declared the victor by INEC after receiving 30,805 votes to defeat Iro-Orji and Ohuabunwa, who obtained 27,540 and 15,175 votes, respectively.