Member representing Isiukwato, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, Hon. Amobi Ogah has rejected the Election Tribunal’s ruling which declared Hon. Nkiruika Onyejeocha as the winner of the February 25 House of Representatives poll.
Hon. Ogah who serves as the incumbent Chairman, House Committee on HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, in a statement made available to Parliamentary Correspondents, described the ruling as ‘bizarre’.
He said: “My attention has been drawn to the ruling of the Election Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, over my victory at the National Assembly polls.
“I want to state categorically and for the record that I will appeal the judgment by the Tribunal as soon as I conclude with my legal team.
“My opponent, whom I know, did not win the election and the judge cannot announce a result presented by the petitioner as concrete against the result presented by INEC.
“With the benefit of hindsight, this bizarre outcome is not totally strange as we had seen tendencies of clear compromise by the panel who discarded all known principles governing election adjudication and enunciated their own principles.
“Indeed, manifestation of it was writ large at the adoption of final addresses wherein the current Attorney General of the Federation- Lateef Fagbemi SAN made comments suggesting underhand dealings with the Chairman of the Panel.
“I want to use this medium to call on my Constituents who voted me, knowing my capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to them, to be calm, law and abiding as I appeal the judgment delivered by the Tribunal.
“For the records, I scored a total of 11,769 votes against my Opponent whom the Commission said scored a total of 8,752 votes.
“It is very bizarre that despite calling a lone witness and dumping several strange result sheets before the Tribunal, the members of the panel cognized same and disregarded original copies of the result sheets produced from proper custody.
“Let me be clear that I am rejecting the Tribunal’s ruling and will appeal the obvious miscarriage of justice, fairness and objectivity.
“Just to let the public know that the Constituency I represent in the House of Representatives is fully on ground to cater for her people and no amount of distraction will make me lose focus to delivering promises made to my people.
“The will and wish of the people that came out en mass to vote me is not in doubt, hence my prompting to challenge the judgement.
“One wonders why a Minister already serving after a woeful defeat at the February 25th National Assembly poll could still be making frantic efforts to unseat the popular wish of the people in the electoral victory of Labour Party and its Candidate.
“I am however confident that her desperation and mischievous attempt to scuttle the will of the people would be upturned by the justices of the Appellate Court,” he said.
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