A file photo of Senator Rochas Okorocha.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital has upheld the election of Senator Rochas Okorocha as the lawmaker representing Imo West district. Justice R. Ada who chaired a panel of judges in the case read the judgement on Thursday. The court, however, held that the appeals filed by Senator Osita Izunaso of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Jones Onyereri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked merit. Both men had challenged the election of the previous governor who contested the February 23 election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The appellate court, however, ruled that the judgement of the Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld Senator Okorocha’s election was in order. It noted that the petitioners were unable to prove their allegations of over-voting, mutilation of electoral results, violence, and the hijacking of electoral officers. The court added the allegation of declaring the results under duress as claimed by the returning officer in the poll could not be proved.Channels TV