Kalu, who spoke through his counsel, Perfect Okorie, on the outcome of the eight-hour judgement delivered by Justice James Abundaga, said he did not agree with some of the issues raised by the tribunal. He said, “I disagree with most of the issues the tribunal relied on. That is why we have the higher court; if you feel aggrieved, you can appeal. I know that the Court of Appeal will see it differently. “This is definitely the beginning of the process; I am positive that at the Court of Appeal, something different will happen.” But the counsel to Ohuabunwa, Mike Onyeka, said the tribunal decided the matter on its merit, saying that whereas the respondent was leading with a small margin, he now leads with over 5,000 votes. This, he said, was made possible “because the tribunal ruled in favour of our objection against some of the wards in Bende where the result was inflated in favour of PPA.” The tribunal chairman, Abundaga, while dismissing Kalu’s petition, said he failed to prove allegations of malpractice beyond reasonable doubt. He said some of the paragraphs of the petition were vague, while he discredited the witnesses, including the forensic expert and the testimony of the principal witness.]]>