From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The battle for Abia All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship will shift to the Supreme Court as one of the party’s governorship aspirants, Chief Daniel Eke, has vowed to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the aspect of the Appeal Court judgment that validated the candidacy of Chief Ikechi Emenike.
Eke made the vow, while reacting to Wednesday’s judgment by the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, presided over by Justice Pemu Rita Nosakhare.
Eke had approached the appellate court in a suit No. CA/OW/419/2022 to quash the October 7 judgment of the Umuahia Federal High Court in the suit No. FHC/UM/CS/96/2022.
Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the lower court had ruled that Eke lacked the locus standi to challenge the outcomes of the May 26 parallel governorship primaries that produced two candidates.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Umuahia on Thursday, while
Eke made it clear he was not satisfied with the appellate court’s decision to authenticate Emenike’s candidacy, he, however, hailed the appellate court’s decision to overrule the lower court on the issue of locus standi.
“This is good for us because it shows that we now can approach the Supreme Court to invalidate Emenike’s candidacy,” he added.
The appellate court averred that Eke showed evidence to prove that he is a card-carrying member of APC, having registered in his Igbere Ward.
It further affirmed that having paid N50m for the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms, he became a governorship aspirant, hence had the locus standi to prosecute the suit.
Eke’s Counsel, Chief Obinna Nkume, said that it was a wrong decision by the court to award a judgment to Emenike, who was the second respondent in the suit, whereas he did not ask for it.
Nkume said in an interview with newsmen that the specific pronouncement by Justice Nosakhare that Eke’s appeal succeeded in part gave impetus to his resolve to get Emenike’s candidacy nullified by the apex court.