Abia APC primaries: Court dismisses motion to compel INEC receive Atuma’s names in ballot

The exparte motion was dated 4th July 2022, signed by seventeen persons as plaintiffs, and was filed by Abdulgani Arogo Esq with S.T Ayodele, Esq, of counsels for APC and Magaji.

Onuigbo, who currently represents Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency of Abia State, sued the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Emeka Atuma as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively over alleged substitution of his name with another name.

However, the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, transferred the suit to Justice Evelyn Anyadike of Federal High Court, Umuahia Division.

The plaintiff, in the suit, sought an order of court nullifying the unilateral substitution of his name as the validly elected candidate for that of Atuma, who he said never participated in the primary election of the APC for the Abia Central Senatorial District held between May 28 and May 29.

Onuigbo is also asking the court to nullify and set aside the election result submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on June 16, parading the name of Atuma as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the senatorial district.

The federal lawmaker equally sought court order mandating the APC and INEC to immediately include his name as candidate of the party, having emerged the winner of the poll, among others.

The Abia party chieftain, Sam Onuigbo who  had emerged the winner of the All Progressive Congress concluded  Senatorial primary election held in Abia central Senatorial district of the state,  frowned at the undemocratic practice by governing All Progressive Congress in Nigeria, wherein the party unlawfully  substituted his name to another person who did not purchase the APC senatorial expression of interest & nomination forms, nor participated during the indirect mode of senatorial primary election in Abia central district, and further maintained that the action by the party leadership negated democratic principle, urging the APC to include his name in the published lists of names of candidates that emerged from its concluded national assembly primary elections conducted across the federation, on the basis of mere directive from the national leadership, on harmonisation of interests by the members in Abia state.

He further queried why Mr Atuma who was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress, and lost to pick the party’s gubernatorial ticket at the recently-conducted indirect mode of primary elections for Abia central senatorial district and also, was never a senatorial aspirant for Abia central district during the concluded primaries could be awarded unmerited victory to an execrise he never purchased forms, appeared for screening, and participated in party primaries.