Anambra Tribunal : Umeh Lambasts Obidigbo Over Approaching Tribunal , Lauds Tribunal Judgment , Victory Dance In Anambra

                                            

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that the National Chairman of All progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh today lauded the judgment of the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Awka, Anambra state for upholding the election victory of APGA candidate Chief Willie Obiano.

    

Umeh said that the judgment of the tribunal has vindicated his party and absolved it of any wrong in fielding Obiano and described the judgement as an affirmation of the people’s votes in the poll.

 Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige and Dr Chike Obidigbo as well as Comrade Tony Nwoye could not be reached for comments as at press time as the judgment was against their expectation having raised alarm earlier reportedly. 

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com quotes Umeh as saying, “We have been vindicated, we sponsored only one person in the election, and that is Obiano, and he is the winner. We won the election in a landslide victory, and the tribunal has confirmed so.

“For Obidigbo, he was ignorant of the law and the electoral process to have brought this petition to the tribunal, because we never sponsored him at all. All their claims and noise that we sponsored him has fallen today because all the submissions by his counsel and ours were reviewed.

“He was trying to rely on a particular judgment that he is the valid candidate of the party, but he did not bring it to court, he knew what would have happened to him if he had brought it. With this victory in Anambra, the party is set to do very well in the next general election”, odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports Umeh as saying while reacting to the  victory of Obiano against Obidigbo at the Tribunal today.

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano can now heave a sigh of relief and deliver democracy dividends to the people of the state.

                     

This is following a favourable judgment by the Anambra Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on today as earlier reported by odogwuemekaodogwu.com.

The three part judgment dismissed the application of the factional candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA), Dr Chike Obidigbo, his All Progressives Congress(APC) counterpart, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige and the candidate of the PDP in the election, Comrade Tony Nwoye for lacking in merit.

The first judgment read by the Justice Ishaq Bello led tribunal on the matter between Dr Obidigbo and Chief Obiano stated that that Chief Obiano was validly nominated as the candidate of APGA, and that the election that brought him to office was conducted in compliance to electoral act as amended.

The tribunal also dismissed the issue of multiple registration, saying that no criminal charges were brought against Obiano by any Magistrate or any high court in the state.

The tribunal also struck out the petition brought before it by the APC candidate in the 2014 governorship election in Anambra, Dr Ngige on the grounds of irregularities in the election for lack of evidence.

Contrary to the claims of Ngige’s counsel that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) lacks the power to extend the date of election, the tribunal held that INEC has the power to do so, insisting that in the case of unforeseen circumstances, but the important thing is that the election when held should be in consonance with the electoral guideline.

Meanwhile odogwuemekaodogwu.com viewed that following the affirmation of the election of Chief Willie Obiano of the All Progressives  Grand Alliance(APGA) as the governor of the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on 1^st of December, 2014, declared Obiano as winner of the serial governorship elections in the state held on 16^th, 17^th and 30^th of November last year.

Not satisfied with the INEC declaration, the trio of Tony Nwoye (PDP) Dr. Chris Ngige (APC) and Chike Obidigbo (APGA) dragged Obiano and INEC to court challenging the declaration.

Delivering judgment today, the tribunal presided over by Justice Ishak Bello, unanimously dismissed the four petitions against Obiano  for lack of merit.

The petitioners had severally and collectively approached the court to quash Obiano’s declaration by INEC stating that Obiano was not qualified for the election abinitio; because according to them Obiano's election transgressed various sections of the Electoral Act.

According to them the election of Obiano did not substantially complied with the relevant laws.

They also canvassed in the tribunal that Obiano be disqualified for alleged multiple registration as a voter.

The petitioners further asked the court to nullify the election that produced Obiano because of what they described as gross irregularities that characterized the poll.

But while delivering judgment the tribunal stated that it was satisfied that Obiano’s declaration was interndem with relevant laws.

 On the alleged double registration, the court said it was not enough to adumbrate on such issues without  adequate proving them.

Besides, the court maintained that such maters are criminal matters that need to be proved beyond reasonable doubt adding that such electoral offences according to the law should be tried in regular courts and not Election Petition.
  

Obidigbo of APGA  had approached the tribunal to    be declared the rightful candidate of the party for the governorship election.

But  tribunal on the judgement  described his petition as dramatic irony saying “Political parties win election. We can’t understand why APGA should come to this court to challenge its Victory. APGA cannot be the petitioner and respondent in same case."

Shortly after the judgement scores of the people of the state defied the day’s down pour and took to the streets in Awka, singing victory song for Obiano.

Some of them who spoke with odogwuemekaodogwu.com said “the judgement is a reflection of the psychology and spirit of the people in this matter. Obiano won that election convincingly. We thank the court for affirming that victory.

Additional report from Tony Okafor