Delivering the judgement, the tribunal chairman,  Justice Abdullahi Yusuf  said Mr Orji, an alleged cultist was not the duly elected governor of the state since he did not resign his appointment at the time of the election.

Orji who was returned governor under the Progressive Peoples Party(PPA) was the Chief of Staff to governor Orji Uzor Kalu,the immediate past governor of Abia State.

The seven-man panel consequently declared Ugochukwu the winner of the poll.

Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate in the April 14 poll,Onyeama Ugochukwu had asked the tribunal to void the election of Orji because he (Ugochukwu) polled the highest number of votes in the election.He also told the tribunal that  orji and his deputy,Mr Akwos were members of a notorious secret cult, the Okija Shrine.