Zamfara S’Court’s ruling ghost in Imo as PDP Rep candidate takes over APC ticket
Unimaginable happened at the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri Monday as Justice P.A. Rigime, in a landmark judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Kingsley Echendu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even though he was never a party to the substantive suit.
Otherwise, the Court disqualified the member-elect for Nkwerre/Nwangele/Njaba/Isu federal constituency of Imo State, Ugonna Ozurigbo, who was dragged to court by Harrison Nwadike, who had taken his party, APC, and INEC to court over the submission of Ozurigbo’s name as the candidate of the party when he claims to be the rightly elected party candidate.
In a surprise twist, the Court ruled that Nwadike’s prayers of automatic ticket were unknown to law, hence the true winner of the said election after disqualification of Ozurigbo who came second remains Echendu.
While noting that the candidacy of Ozurigbo was illegitimate as the primaries was null and void, the Court ordered INEC to issue the PDP candidate, Echendu, who came second in the general election, with a Certificate of Return as the rightful winner of the election.
However, the petitioner, who agreed with the court that he was the rightful winner of the APC primary election in the federal constituency, argued that it was wrong for the court to go ahead to declare the PDP candidate, who was never a party to the case as the lawful winner of the general election.
According to him, his legal team is already on their way to the Appeal Court.
Business Hilights South East Bureau chief gathered that both the PDP and Echendu were not parties to the suit.
