Abia Guber: Emenike, APC Challenge Decision, Seek Redress At Supreme Court

The Abia State Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 poll, Ikechi Emenike, and the APC have expressed dissatisfaction with the Saturday verdict of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the election of Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP).

Yesterday, Emenike and the Abia APC stated their intention to pursue justice by taking the case to the Supreme Court.

In a statement, the Abia State APC Chairman, Kingsley Ononogbu, said, “The party’s Governorship Appeal: High Chief Ikechi Emenike vs INEC & 6ors had become another victim of the Nigeria judicial abracadabra.”

Ononugbo continued: “The court of appeal Lagos division dismissed our Appeal against the unconstitutional declaration of Alex Otti as the governor of Abia State in the March 18 General Election.”

He said APC and Ikechi’s team of lawyers became apprehensive when 8 pm the night before the ruling, news started flying that judgement would be delivered the following day.

“When our Lead counsel, Tochukwu Maduka, SAN, contacted the deputy registrar, court of appeal Lagos, he apologized and sent a hearing notice of the day’s sitting at about 9am. It is unfortunate that democracy and rule of law have been reduced to this pitiable level in our dear county. In this circumstance, we will not even relent.

“We urge our members to keep calm as we are prepared to take steps and approach the Apex court in the land for a final review of this obvious truncation of justice for curious reasons. We are aware that the journey to freedom had never been an easy one. We urge everyone to continue to remember our leader, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, – the last man standing in our prayers.”

A lawyer, Nnamdi Adiele, who said he was in the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal to witness the judgment, said: “Justice Habeeb Adewale Abiru abandoned the law, shunned justice and embarked on a voyage of political fallacies and personal barb.”

He expressed worries about “the fate of Nigeria if clear constitutional provisions are so regrettably treated.”

Ken Dike, another legal expert, questioned the application of qualification criteria in the removal of Governors of Plateau and Kano states and the Abia Central Senator, among others.

He highlighted the inconsistency, noting that in the case of Otti, party waiver appeared to be considered superior to both the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act. Dike expressed the view that these “strange pronouncements need to be tested at the Supreme Court.”