The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Monday affirmed the victory of Orji Kalu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the Abia North senatorial election.
The three-member panel presided over by Abiri JCA held that Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, complied with the constitutional provisions of the electoral act during the electioneering period.
The court agreed with the judgement of the tribunal and dismissed the appeals filed by Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Nnamdi Orji of the Labor Party (LP) for lacking merit.
The court held that the allegations against Mr Kalu were not proven.
The court also set aside the prayer seeking to disqualify Mr Kalu from the election for admitting before a Federal High Court that he was convicted of fraud.
The court resolved that Mr Kalu was eligible to contest the senatorial election because his trial and conviction on fraud allegation were nullified by the Supreme Court.
Mr Kalu is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation.
Prediction
A former senator representing Adamawa North, Elisha Abbo, had earlier alleged that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was plotting to influence court judgement against five senators who opposed his senate presidency ambition.
The former senator who was sacked by an appeal court sitting in Abuja in October named Mr Kalu as one of the five senators that will be sacked by the appeal court.
Mr Abbo is a member of the APC.
After Mr Abbo’s outburst, a total of three senators have been sacked by the appeal court.
Aside from Mr Abbo, those who have been sacked are, Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere (Kogi Central), Simon Mwadkwon (Plateau North) and Darlington Nwokocha (Abia Central).
