Judgement On Abia Guber Poll Dead On Arrival – Umeh Kalu

—We alerted Nigerians before now-LP

The Kano High Court judgement sacking the governor-elect of Abia State Chief Alex Otti, has been dismissed as inconsequential and dead on arrival.

This is even as the Labour Party (LP) on which platform Otti was elected, said it had alerted Nigerians before now, of the plan by the suspended group led by Lamidi Apapa, to procure such judgement.

Chief Umeh Kalu, a lawyer, who reacted immediately to the judgement, noted that Otti whose election was purportedly in dispute, was not a party to the suit.

Said Kalu: “I have seen the judgement. You cannot make an order to anybody that is not a party before you.

“The issues they raised there are the same thing they raised at the tribunal. They said that the membership register of the Labour Party (LP) was not submitted 30 days before, and… all these issues were raised at the tribunal.

“Elections have come and gone; candidates accepted by INEC, elections conducted, results declared. Any issue that has to do with that election, the only arena for it is the election tribunal. The issue they raised is pre-election matter.

“But, even on the merit, the Kano case is dead on arrival. You cannot shave anybody’s head in his absence. Alex Otti’s name was not mentioned in that judgement even though I think he is the target.”

LP Acting National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh, said the party was not put on notice by the court before it entered judgement against it.