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Tribunal verdict won't stand -Abia Gov

Posted by By CHIDI NNADI, Enugu on 2008/03/04 | Views: 592 |

Tribunal verdict won't stand -Abia Gov


Governor Theodore Ahamefula Orji of Abia State has said that it has unshaken faith in the judiciary to correct what it called 'miscarriage of justice" at the election tribunal which gave its victory to Chief Onyema Ugochukwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Governor Theodore Ahamefula Orji of Abia State has said that it has unshaken faith in the judiciary to correct what it called 'miscarriage of justice" at the election tribunal which gave its victory to Chief Onyema Ugochukwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia had on February 25 nullified the election of Governor Orji on the allegations that he did not resign his previous appointment before contesting for the election, as well as belonging to the Okija shrine.

But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Ukoha Kalu, in an exclusive interview with Saturday Sun described the tribunal verdict as a miscarriage of justice since the same tribunal had said that Governor Orji actually won in that election.

His words: 'We felt a sense of miscarriage of justice as the tribunal said that the PPA-led government won that election fair and square. Governor Orji polled the majority of the votes cast and the tribunal said there were no malpractices in the Abia election.
'The issue is about election because without the election I don't think that T. A. Orji and Onyema Ugochukwu will be in court in the first place. So, we call the verdict a miscarriage of justice and still see it as a mistake."

Kalu said that they have 21 days to appeal the tribunal judgment, urging all the Abia people to disregard rumours making the rounds, which he said are aimed at destabilizing the good intentions of the Governor Orji administration, saying that they are currently looking at the judgment and would soon file their appeal.

'We have an unshaken faith in the judiciary to correct the mistake which we see as human; really it is human to err.
'It takes a courageous judiciary to correct the injustice done to us and the judiciary we have seen recently has been the last beacon of hope for those who come to seek redress from it," Kalu said.
The CPS urged the people of the God's own state to 'remain law abiding", adding that 'what has happened is just a temporary upset that will be corrected at the Appeal Court."
He said that the upset would not in anyway stop the Governor Orji administration from giving the people of Abia the best dividends of democracy.

'In the eight months or so, his excellency has been on the saddle of governance in the state he has proved that he is actually the man who the cap fits," he said.
He pointed out that the governor is a thorough bureaucrat, having been a permanent secretary and the chief of staff of the state and would not have made the mistake of not resigning his appointment as held by the tribunal.

'We have it on good record that his excellency duly resigned his appointment before contesting the election. Remember that Governor T. A. Orji was released from detention few days to the swearing-in ceremony as governor. He was in detention for about 90 days and was not working. So, you cannot be in prison and be driving official car. They even said that he drew salaries! How can somebody who was in detention be drawing salaries? T. A. Orji said that he instructed the chief accountant while in prison custody to stop his salaries," Kalu pointed out.
He said that all these allegations were the handiwork of mischief makers which would be corrected at the Appeal Court, urging the Abia people not to be disturbed by rumours.

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