Despite the issuance of a certificate of return to Dr. Uche Ogah by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), a governorship aspirant in the December 8, 2014 PDP governorship primaries in the state, Sir Friday Nwosu, has said that he is confident of victory in the suit which he filed against Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu and Dr. Ogah , insisting that he remains the lawful candidate of the party.
He maintained that is wrong for INEC to issue certificate of return to Dr. Uche Ogah when the process of appeal has not been exhausted. It is trite that since Ikpeazu was disqualified, the Court ought to have declared me governor as Ogah did not participate in the state PDP primaries and expressed his confidence in the appellate courts to rectify the error.
Nwosu who stated this in an interview with 247ureports.com, minutes after filing his notice of appeal, faulted the judgment which declared Ogah governor, without considering the obvious fact that he refused to sign the result of the party primaries and petitioned the PDP national leadership to conduct another exercise.
He said, “It is wrong for INEC to issue a certificate of return to Dr. Uche Ogah. The Court erred in law; the judgment is a miscarriage of justice and cannot stand judicial scrutiny. Dr. Uche Ogah must not be allowed to benefit from an exercise he totally condemned by refusing to sign the result and petitioning the party to conduct another primary election. He should wait for the rerun of the PDP primaries which he prayed for in his petition to the party. In the eyes of the law, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Chief Friday Nwosu, were the only candidates who ran for the party primaries and accepted the results without complaint. Since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been disqualified, I remain the lawful candidate of the PDP and ought to have been declared governor.
“Our party, the PDP in its Constitution, recognizes zoning of political offices. The 2015 governorship position was rightly zoned to Abia South in the spirit of justice and equity by the state chapter of the party. It is on record. Since Dr. Uche Ogah is a member of the PDP, he must abide with the decisions of the party. Therefore, he cannot emerge from behind to shortchange the people of Abia South.”
The suit filed by Nwosu had suffered several delays and is still pending before a new Judge, Justice A.I. Alagoa of the Federal High Court, Owerri Division while adoption of written addresses by counsel to parties will hold on July 4 and 5, 2016.
