Nigerians living in Abia State have been urged to disregard the rumour making the rounds that the Court of Appeal had asked that Alex Oti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) be sworn in today (Tuesday), as Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) remains the state governor until proved otherwise by the Supreme Court.
Chibuike Nwokeukwu, a member of Governor Ikpeazu’s legal team, who stated this Monday afternoon after a meeting of the elders of the Ukwa-Ngwa nationality at Osisioma Ngwa, Aba, said the governor’s legal team had filed a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s ruling against Ikpeazu.
Nwokeukwu explained that the Court of Appeal judgement, which came to them as a rude shock, was a rape of justice requiring further subjection to legal test at the Supreme Court.
Addressing the press after the meeting, the convener, Emmanuel Adaelu, said: “We are here to air our grievances over the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State.
“We feel very distressed, embarrassed, highly annoyed and we feel that decision was a total deprivation of our fundamental human right, particularly when we found out that the reason given for declaring the opponent of the PDP candidate was that the election results be cancelled in Obingwa, the home of the governor, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North.
“To us, this is a rape of justice and unfair. We do not know why the judges we consider to hold the trust of the nation in relation to justice decided to give that kangaroo verdict.
“How can a court decide to cancel elections in three local government areas of Ngwa land, including the local government area of Governor Ikpeazu. That is to say that he did not vote for himself. We feel very distressed, because of this disenfranchisement of our people. We have never seen its parallel in the history of election verdicts.” Adaelu further said that Ikpeazu’s team had filed a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict, because of the hope they have that the apex court would reverse the judgement.
He noted that the Ukwa-Ngwa people with nine out of the 17 LGAs of Abia State had a history of political deprivation in the state, stressing that the opportunity they had in producing Ikpeazu would not be frittered away.
Adolphus Wabara, former Senate president, who is also from the area, said the Ukwa-Ngwa people shall fight for justice until the judgement against Ikpeazu was reversed.
Wabara wondered how over 300,000 registered voters could be disenfranchised against their wish, stressing that the National Judicial Council (NJC) should look into the judgement and act accordingly.
