There are massive indications that the People's Democratic Party, PDP could lose its gubernatorial seat to the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Alex Otti if the ruling of the election tribunal today goes south.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
The political temperature in Abia State rose sharply monday as news filtered that the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia would deliver its verdict today, Tuesday the 3rd of November, according to ThisDay.
The petition filed by the governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Alex Otti, challenging the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the only case for determination.
The high level anxiety being generated by the petition was due to the stiff opposition that APGA gave PDP, which had held sway in the state for most of the period, except for the three year brief period that the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) was in government before the then governor defected to the PDP.
The governorship election held on April 11, 2015 in the state ended inconclusively thereby necessitating a supplementary poll of April 25, 2015.
Consequently the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after collating the final tally, declared Ikpeazu winner with 264,713 valid votes as against 180,882 scored by his Otti, his closest rival.
The APGA candidate was dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, claiming that the election was marred by malpractices and specifically asked for the result from Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa should be cancelled.