Chief John Okiyi Kalu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Abia state Commissioner for Information, has mocked the 2019 gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti over the dismissal of his appeal seeking to unseat the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate and the incumbent Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
DAILY POST reported that the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital and headed by Justice R.A Adah, had at the weekend, struck out the appeal filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the 2019 governorship election in Abia State, Alex Otti, and validated Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s victory.
Earlier before the appeal court judgment, a three-man panel of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia state capital, and chaired by Justice A.L. Ogumoye, had dismissed the petition filed by the 2019 APGA gubernatorial candidate, Dr Alex Otti against the declaration of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu.
The tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to prove the case of over-voting, non-compliance to the INEC election guideline and the electoral act.
But, the Commissioner while reacting in a statement on Monday afternoon in Umuahia opined, “Apart from causing him to bolt away from the 2014 Abia State PDP Governorship primaries, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has inflicted the following defeats on Alex Otti: On April 11, 2015, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu (PDP) won the majority of votes cast in the Governorship election in which Otti also contested.
“On April 25, 2015, Dr Ikpeazu defeated Otti in the Supplementary Governorship Election. On the 3rd of November, 2015, Dr Ikpeazu defeated Otti at the Abia election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia.On the 25th of February, 2016, the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared Governor Ikpeazu winner and dismissed Otti’s petition. On August 5, 2016, the Appeal Court dismissed Otti’s motion to join a matter involving Uche Ogah and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
“On the 12th of May, 2017, the Supreme Court of Nigeria rendered Otti’s motion to be declared Governor of Abia State impotent, called Otti “a busy body and a meddlesome interloper” and affirmed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu as the Governor of Abia State.
He continued, “On April 9, 2019, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu polled 261,127 votes to defeat Alex Otti, who polled 64,366 votes, to win re-election as Governor of Abia State. On the 20th of September, 2019, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu defeated Alex Otti at the election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia. On Saturday, November 16, 2019, the Owerri Division of the Appeal Court dismissed the petition of Alex Otti and declared Dr Okezie Ikpeazu validly elected Governor of Abia State at the 2019 election.
Kalu asked, “Will Otti suffer more defeats in the hands of Dr Ikpeazu? The simple answer is YES. Alex Otti is a desperate sore loser who will certainly approach the Supreme Court within 21 days to try his luck again. Unless he succeeds in getting the appointment he has been lobbying for in Abuja.
“Alex Otti determination to distract Governor Ikpeazu, disrupt governance in Abia State and punish the people for daring to reject him at the polls is legendary. He will also continue with his self-appointed mission to de-market Abia State, stoke crises and lie to his dwindling handful of supporters that he won this and that but was rigged out. What does the Bible say about Ikpeazu and Otti’s contests? But, James 4:16 said, “He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
