The Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, yesterday, Thursday, September 12, 2019, stalled what was to be victory celebrations for PDP faithful from Abi Local Government Area who had anticipated that Davies Etta, representing Abi State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA, will be declared winner in the suit brought before the tribunal by Iwara Inah of the APC, challenging Etta’s victory in the last general elections.
At the tribunal, several Abi indigenes supporting the PDP, who had travelled from out of Calabar, were seen visibly disappointed when the tribunal verdict ordered re-run elections in 12 polling units within 90 days instead of an anticipated favourable verdict. “We came here in solidarity and with the conviction that judgement will be in Davis’ favour and then we will go and celebrate but this has not happened. Yes we are disappointed, but we will obey the law, go back and work very hard so that the win we will post in the re-run (when it holds) will be foolproof”, one PDP faithful from Abi LGA, told our reporter in Calabar.
Egbe Awo Egbe, Chapter Chairman of the PDP in Abi, when contacted by www.calitown.com, maintained that he was quite disappointed with the judgement and further said that, “our disappointment will fire us up to go back to our people and ask them to vote again, like they have always voted, for our party the PDP because we have in Davis Etta, a very credible candidate who has so much to offer. I will use this opportunity to ask our supporters to conduct themselves in a very orderly manner, we are responsible citizens of this country and must remain committed to peace and embrace respect for the legal processes that have played out so far. I have no doubt in my mind that if the elections are conducted a million times, our candidate, Etta, will win.” It is a position also held by Etta,the defendant, who also revealed shortly after the tribunal verdict that he still has an upper hand in the matter. Attempts to reach the petitioner, Iwara Inah of the APC, was impossible at press time.
