Ohakim, Orji win at appeal court

Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt - 15.04.2008

THE appeal tribunal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has given victory to Governors Theodore Orji of Abia and Ikedi Ohakim of Imo states as it dismissed various petitions seeking to nullify their elections.

The appellate tribunal adjourned two petitions against the governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to May 19 when the former governor, Celestine Omehia, is expected to have been served by the petitioners.

The appeal filed by the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in last year’s general election in Imo State, Chief Martins Agbaso, was dismissed on the grounds that the case he was contesting was a post-election matter.

The APGA candidate had held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had no power to cancel the first election held in Imo State on April 14, 2007 where he claimed he won and insisted that there was no election in the state on April 28, 2007.

But reading the lead judgment, Justice O. Arinola noted that from the headings of the processes filed in the matter, it was clear that Agbaso was challenging the elections of April 28 and not that of April 14, adding that having not pleaded anything on the material he filed before them, it was taken that he abandoned his pleadings.