Pockets of protests by aggrieved members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were recorded yesterday in Umuahia after the National Assembly Tribunal seating in the state capital upheld the election of the immediate past state governor, Chief TA Orji, as Senator representing Abia Central.

The protesters, who were later dispersed by the police, described the judgement as a rape of democracy.

The First Petitioner, Barr. Chief Emmanuel Ahamdi Nweke, APGA 2015 Senatorial candidate Abia Central Senatorial District, told News Express: “In a case in which none of the respondents called any witnesses and where INEC left the case for filling its Final Address out of time, amongst proven glaring factual irregularities in the election and fraudulent collation of results leading to the return of Chief Orji, the judgement stands at odd with justice.”

Continuing, he said: “It hurts our democracy and national development when the Game Keepers (Judges) become poachers in the disgraceful market place where the opportunism of selling justice to the highest bidder becomes the order of the day. No legally constituted Tribunal that properly directs itself on the facts of this matter can possibly reach the verdict announced by this Tribunal. TA Orji has simply raped democracy in broad daylight and in public glare, now he wishes to use the blood money of our dead pensioners, civil servants and Abia public to pay judges in order to uphold his evil deeds. Justice has been turned on its head and we shall go to higher custodians of or common values to get justice standing back on its feet. Our national campaign against corruption does not exclude bad eggs in the Judiciary. The days of such impunity as we have seen in Abia must be consigned to history.”

•Photo shows TA Orji.