Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Action Alliance (AA) has rejected last week’s ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja, nullifying the candidature of its governorship candidate in the Imo State 2019 governorship election, Uche Nwosu.
Reacting to the ruling the party argued that it was given in error, insisting that its candidate, Uche Nwosu, never sought for the ticket or enlisted by the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate.
The party further emphasised that the Federal High Court ruling contradicts the earlier Supreme Court ruling that had confirmed Uche Nwosu as the governorship candidate of the party (AA) in Imo State.
The National Publicity Secretary of AA, Prince Charles Chukwuemeka, therefore called on the party supporters, Imo State electorate and Nigerians to disregard the ruling.
Chukwuemeka, in a statement said: “Action Alliance rejects that court ruling wherein it said that Uche Nwosu is no longer the candidate of AA because of double nomination.
“You should know that there is a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed Uche Nwosu as the governorship candidate of AA in Imo State. It is also important to state that Uche Nwosu never associated with APP and even the APC after the party recognised Senator Hope Uzodinma as its candidate.
“Nwosu was never listed as APC candidate or any other party except AA by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“That the National Publicity Secretary of AA, Charles Chukwuemeka, and the entire party leadership have since dissociated the party from that ruling and that the people should not be deceived.
“We are against that ruling; it does not reflect our political interest as l emphasise that there was never a time Uche Nwosu was listed as a candidate of any other party,” the statement read.
A Federal High Court had last week ordered the INEC to remove the name of Uche Nwosu as a governorship candidate in the last election held in Imo State.
The presiding Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo voided Nwosu’s candidacy on the grounds of double nomination by two political parties, the APC and the AA, in violation of Section 37 of the Electoral Act.
The case was instituted against the AA governorship candidate in Imo State by the Action Peoples Party (APP) and its Deputy National Chairman, Uche Nnadi.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo declared the nomination of Nwosu by AA as a governorship candidate “invalid, null and void, having been made at the pendency of similar nomination of the second defendant (Nwosu) by the All Progressives Congress for the same position.”
Justice Ekwo said: “There is no controversy that, on October 6, 2018, the second defendant (Nwosu) had himself nominated as the governorship candidate of the APC.
“Furthermore, there is no controversy that, to secure his nomination by the APC, the second defendant on October 9, 2019, obtained an order of the High Court of the Federal High Court, which subsists having not been set aside.”
The judge ruled that “it is illegal in the eyes of the law. No one is allowed to benefit from an illegal act. The second defendant allowed himself to be nominated by the APC and the third defendant (AA).”