Group rejects tribunal ruling on Abia-North senatorial election

<p>A group, Friends of Democracy, has rejected the judgement of the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed the declaration of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as the winner of the Abia-North senatorial poll.</p>, <p>In a statement released on Monday by its coordinator, Okafor Azubuike, the group warned against perversion of justice, insisting that the election was inconclusive.</p>, <p>Candidates of the Labour Party, LP, Nnamdi Iro Orji, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mao Ohuabunwa, had filed petitions against Kalu’s election as the senator representing Abia-North in the National Assembly.</p>, <p>The petitioners argued that Kalu was not validly elected as the election did not hold in over 120 polling units in Ohafia and Arochukwu local government areas of Abia-North.</p>, <p>But in a unanimous decision on September 12, the three-man panel of the tribunal led by Justice Samson Paul-Gang dismissed the petitions for lacking merit.</p>, <p>The tribunal equally held that Kalu’s election complied with provisions of the Electoral Act.</p>, <p>However, the group, Friends of Democracy, is insisting that, contrary to the tribunal’s decision, the election for Abia-North Senatorial District was marred by irregularities as voting did not take place in several units.</p>, <p>The statement said, “We witnessed the election in Abia-North for the senatorial election. We deployed men to monitor it. The election to every lover of democracy and truth was inconclusive.</p>, <p>“We recorded and knew; the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, knew and said that elections were not held in Isiama Ohafia ward, Okamu Ohafia ward, Agborji Abiriba ward and so many other polling units in Arochukwu/Ohafia Local Government.</p>, <p>“These areas alone had almost 50,000 registered voters. They were disenfranchised. They sponsored violence to stop people from voting because it was the fortress of the Labour Party.”</p>, <p>The group added that INEC confirmed that elections were not held in the concerned areas, as the