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| Nyerere Anyim |
The Abia State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, on Tuesday, struck out the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Nyerere Anyim, against the victory of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Both Ikpeazu and Anyim hail from Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Usman Bwala, said the petition was dismissed on the grounds of “negligence and lack of diligence in prosecution”.
Bwala cited relevant sections of the Electoral Act which he said Anyim failed to comply with in the prosecution of the matter.
The APC candidate had prayed the tribunal to invalidate Ikpeazu’s election, alleging widespread irregularities during the poll. He also joined the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission as respondents in his suit.
But the counsel for the respondents told the tribunal that neither the petitioner nor his counsel were in court to pursue their matter.
Counsel for INEC, Chief Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), had in his argument, prayed the tribunal to invoke the mandatory sections of the law and strike out Anyim’s petition over the failure of the petitioner and his counsel to appear in court.
Similarly, counsel for the PDP, Henry Balaogu, noted that both Nyerere and his counsel were present at the last hearing and were all aware of the day’s proceedings but deliberately chose to stay away.
He, therefore, prayed the tribunal to dismiss Anyim’s petition for lack of interest on the part of the petitioner.
With this development, only the petition by the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Dr. Alex Otti against Ikpeazu is the pending suit before the tribunal. The petition filed by a factional candidate of APGA, Chief Reagan Ufomba, had earlier been dismissed for lack of merit.
The tribunal had adjourned till July 24 for the commencement of a pre- hearing on Otti’s petition.
