The election court had also dismissed a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress candidate.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the judgement by the Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed the election of Alex Otti as the governor of the state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a three-member panel of judges headed by Justice H.T.D Gwadah, on Friday, dismissed a petition by the governorship candidate of the PDP, Okey Ahiwe, for lack of merit.
The tribunal held that the contention by Mr Ahiwe and the PDP over the qualification of Mr Otti to contest in the governorship poll in the state was a pre-election matter and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.
It also ruled that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of overvoting in some parts of the state and "doctoring" of results from Obingwa Local Government Area of the state which was taken to Abuja for review by the Independent National Electoral Commission in March after the commission suspended the collation of results from the area.
The election court also dismissed a similar petition filed by the All Progressives Congress candidate in the election, Ikechi Emenike, for lack of merit.
'You erred in your judgement'
Reacting, the spokesperson of the PDP in Abia State, Abraham Amah, claimed in a statement that the party was not surprised with the ruling given that Mr Otti and his aides allegedly boasted that the court would throw out the petition of Mr Ahiwe and the PDP.
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"It is our firm belief that the justices erred in their judgement," Mr Amah said.
"Having rejected the judgement, the Abia PDP has conferred with our team of lawyers and based on our understanding that the learned justices erred, we are appealing the judgement as a means to correct the wrongs by the election tribunal," he added.
The spokesperson thanked all PDP members and supporters for standing with the party during and after the election.
He urged them to continue to support the party, especially as they have "embarked on a journey" to challenge the ruling in a higher court.
"As a responsible and law-abiding corporate citizen, the Abia PDP wishes to restate our democratic credentials anchored on the principles of rule of law, justice, law and order and also reaffirm our belief in the judiciary as one of the strongest pillars of democracy," the party spokesperson stated.
