By Sunday Ani, Lagos
Ahead of March 2023 gubernatorial election in Abia State, a chieftain of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr Ndubisi Etugo Ogah, has approached the Federal High Court, Umuahia, asking the court to stop the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from fielding Prof Uche Ikonne as the party’s governorship candidate for the election.
According to Ogah, his action was to ensure that the agreement on power rotation in the state known as the Abia Charter of Equity was respected by all concerned. In a suit number FHC/UM/CS/63/2022 filed by counsel to Ogah, PC Dike, the PDP chieftain is asking the court to stop the party and INEC from fielding and recognising Ikonne as the candidate of the party because Ikonne’s candidacy did not respect the spirit and letters of the agreement.
He noted that Ikonne is from the Abia Central Senatorial Zone, when the next governor of the state is supposed to come from the Abia North Senatorial Zone, going by the agreement.
He called on the court to order the PDP to return the governorship ticket to the Abia North Senatorial zone, saying, going by the Abia Charter of Equity (ACE), which was signed by the founding fathers of the state, Abia North is next in line to produce the governor in 2023.
Joined and listed as defendants/respondents in the suit are the PDP, its national chairman, Iyorvhia Ayu; South East zonal chairman of PDP, Ali Odefa, the PDP state chairman, Asiforo Okere, the governorship candidate, Ikonne and the INEC.
Others are the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; the acting Board of Trusses (BoT) Chairman of the party, Sen Adolphous Nwabara; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe representing Abia South in the Senate, and former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu.
Briefing journalists after filing the case, yesterday, Dike said his client, who is from Isikwuato in Abia North Senatorial zone, approached the court because he was allegedly denied the opportunity to contest the governorship election under the PDP by the leader of the party in the state, Governor Ikpeazu. He noted that Gov refused to abide by the ACE agreement that was signed by the founding fathers led by the late governor of the old eastern region, Dr MI Okpara.
“Going by the ACE agreement, it is the turn of Abia North to produce the governor of Abia State in 2023. So my client who is from Abia North came out to contest the governorship election, but he was denied the opportunity to buy the PDP form and contest for the governorship ticket after obtaining the expression of interest form by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his cohorts in PDP who refused to recognise the ACE agreement and took the governorship ticket to Abia Central zone,” Dike stated.