Pre-election suit: Court sacks Ikechi Emenike as APC Guber candidate in Abia, affirms Ogah

An FCT High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, nullified the illegal substitution of the name of the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, with former Pro-chancellor and the Chairman of the Governing Board of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Enugu state, Ikechi Emenike.

Recall that All Progressives Congress had on 26th May, 2022, conducted a parallel primary elections which saw the emergence of two gubernatorial candidates of the party for the coming 2023 general elections in Abia state.

The parallel gubernatorial primaries was held in Umuahia, the Abia state capital.

However, the national leadership of the governing APC led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu as party national chairman, fielded Emenike as the APC governorship seat ticket bearer for the main elections in March 2023 in Abia state.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the party leadership including Ikechi Emenike’s name in INEC published lists of names of candidates who successfully emerged from the concluded primary elections conducted by political parties across the federation, Uche Ogah had in June 2022, sued Mr Ikechi Emenike, APC and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to a federal high court  in Abuja and sought the order of the court to nullify the decision of the party to substitute him with names of co-contestant, Ikechi Emenike who emerged candidate of the All Progressives Congress at a concluded parallel gubernatorial primary election which took place in Umuahia the state capital city.

However, the Federal High court presided by Honorable Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako while delivering her judgement in Abuja, on Friday,  affirmed Dr Uche Ogah as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the March 2023 main elections n Abia state.

Justice Nyako made the declaration in her judgement on the lawsuit filed by Ogah challenging illegal and wrongful substitution of his name with that of Emenike by the Abia chapter of the progressive party.

Also recalls that Uche Ogah had on 26th of May 2022, emerged as the  Abia governorship standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the recently-concluded gubernatorial primary elections for the forthcoming 2023 general elections in Abia state.