Abia born cleric, Reverend Kalu Ukpai Ota has cautioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike not to enforce failure by trying to manipulate judges of the Appeal Court to “smuggle someone else back to the Senate”.
Ota was reacting to an alleged statement credited to a chieftain of the Labour Party, LP from Abia State, Elder Cosmos Okorie, who, allegedly accused the minister of working with judges to deliver Abia to PDP, stating: “Wike’s action, if true, is capable of setting the state ablaze.”
Ota warned the former Rivers State Governor never to be deceived by “the former lawmaker”, who according to him failed in his polling unit, ward, and council area, advising, “manipulating judges against Sen. Kalu would be a disservice to the people of Abia North Senatorial District”.
“I am an ordained minister of a renowned church, and it is my duty to always say the truth at all times. Manipulating Appeal Court judges in against Sen. Kalu won’t be acceptable here. We won’t allow Wike to reinforce failure in our Senatorial District.
“We are happy with what Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is doing across the five local government areas. You can see the level of development in Abia North since he was elected. He has constructed the road in my community, gave us solar streetlights, built health centres and renovated schools. Therefore, we won’t accept unnecessary interference from an outsider,” he said.
Recall that the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia had upheld the victory of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu representing Abia North Senatorial zone in the February 25, 2023 polls.
A three man panel led by Justice Samson Paul-Gang in its unanimous ruling on Tuesday, September 12, dismissed the petition of Peoples Democratic Party’s Mao Ohuabunwa and Labour Party’s Nnamdi Iro Orji for lacking merit.
The court, while upholding the victory of Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that the election of the former Senate Chief Whip complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act and faulted the arguments of both petitioners that election did not hold in over 120 polling units mainly in Ohafia and Arochukwu Local Government Areas of the zone.
Nnamdi Iro and Ohuabunwa who came second and third respectively, and Labour Party, in separate suits had asked the court to overturn the election of the Senator representing Abia North as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, alleging irregularities.
Also thrown out was the petition of the PDP and LP argument that the total number of registered voters in the said affected polling units was far above the margin of win between Kalu and the first and second runners-up.
The court also validated Kalu’s eligibility to contest the election.
Two other matters filed by the LP challenging Kalu’s election were also interpreted and laid to rest by the Tribunal judges and thus declared Kalu the duly elected Senator of Abia North.
Kalu, a Chieftain of the APC who was declared winner by the INEC returning Officer for Abia North, Mr Chinedu Nnamdi at Ohafia, a two time lawmaker who currently chairs Senate committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation was declared winner by INEC of the February 25, 2023 Senatorial polls having scored 30,805 votes to defeat Nnamdi who got 27,540 votes, while Ohuabunwa of the PDP scored 15,175 votes to come third.
