COURT SACKS APC
CHAIRMAN
A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra on Thursday,
nullified the election of Mr Emeka Ibe as the chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the state.
Chief Uzochukwu Onyekwere, a member of
the APC in Anambra and chairmanship aspirant, had gone to court to contest the
May 19 state elective congress that brought in Ibe, over unlawful exclusion.
Defendants in the suit were Okey Ezea,
Rep. Kingsley Chinda, Chairman of the APC Congress Committee in Anambra, Ibe,
the acclaimed winner and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Onyekwere prayed the court that he was
a bona fide member of APC and was entitled to aspire for the office of the
party’s chairman in Anambra, NAN reports.
He sought declaration that the exercise
was not conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section 223 of the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 20
of the APC constitution 2017 as amended.
He said the intendment of those
provisions was that all elections would be through democratic voting and that
the exercise fell short of it.
Ibe sought a declaration that he would
not be punished after seeking justice through the court and that the May 19,
2018 Anambra APC congress be set aside.
In an over two-hour ruling, Justice
Bature Gafai dismissed the counter affidavits of the defendants which contended
that the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter as it was an internal
party affair.
Gafai said the plaintiff being a bona
fide member of the party and having paid the mandatory nomination fee had the
right to fair contest.
He nullified the election into the APC
chairmanship position and ordered a re-run which INEC should supervise.
The judge, who did not grant the damage
of N100 million sought by the plaintiff however, did not give that for the
repeat of the election.
In a swift reaction, Chief Tagbo Ike,
counsel to the petitioner, applauded the court for the judgement and speedy dispensation
of justice.
Ike, who described the election as a
‘sham’, said it was sad that a few people sat and produced their stooges as
consensus and harmonised candidates and forced them on the people.
Ike said he would convey the judgement
to the party hierarchy for appropriate action.
The plaintiff, Onyekwere also lauded
the court, adding that he has been vindicated.
Onyekwere said he would go back and
prepare for a congress election that would reflect the minds of the generality
of party faithful.
“I thank God, if you must go to equity
you have to go with clean hands, I have maintained that there was no congress
in Anambra and the court has confirmed it.
“I will go and prepare, if I win, I win
and if I lose I will be happy that justice has been served,” he said.
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