The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, yesterday affirmed the victory of Theodore Orji of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the senator representing Abia Central in this year’s general election.
The immediate past senator for the district, Nkechi Nwaogu, had sought the nullification of the election.
He also called for a rerun of the poll for what she called the gross irregularities that allegedly characterised the election.
Delivering the tribunal’s judgment, its Chairman Justice Adeyinka Adebirigbe said the evidence of the petitioner failed on its own, while the petition itself also failed based on “non-availability of cogent and credible evidence”.
The chairman stressed that “practically, there is no evidence the petitioner could rely upon” and he dismissed the petition.
Speaking through his Umuahia Liaison Officer, Ifeanyi Umere, Senator Orji expressed gratitude to God for the affirmation of his victory at the tribunal.
He thanked his constituents for standing solidly behind him all the while.
Orji urged Nwaogu to see reasons and join hands with him to develop the state.
In a telephone chat, Nwaogu said she was not expecting anything different from the tribunal’s judgment.
According to her, she and her team of lawyers were studying the judgment and would decide on the appropriate line of action.