The Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, yesterday, struck out the suit filed by the former minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uche Ogah, challenging the candidature of Chief Ikechi Emenike, the governorship standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Abia State.
In a unanimous ruling, the appellate court struck out a motion for leave to appeal as an interested party, filed by Ogah to challenge the judgement of the High Court of Abia State in suit No HUM/31/2022:High Chief Ikechi Emenike VS APC AND 2 ORS.
The High Court had in its judgment delivered on June 24, 2022, affirmed Chief Emenike as the governorship candidate Abia APC for the 2023 general election.
Emenike approached the Abia State High Court to determine whether himself having emerged as the candidate of APC in the primary election conducted by the party on June 26, 2022, the party can refuse to submit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of the party.
He also asked the Court to whether INEC upon the party submitting or uploading his name in its portal can decline to publish his name as the candidate of APC for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Abia State, among other issues for determination.
The Abia State High Court in the said judgement in favour of High Chief Emenike mandated APC to upload his name in INEC’s portal as the governorship candidate.
It also compelled INEC to accept Emenike’s name as uploaded, publish same as the candidate of APC for gubernatorial election in Abia State in the 2023 general elections.
Above all, the Court restrained INEC from accepting or publishing the name of any other person as the candidate of APC in the said election other than High Chief Ikechi Emenike.