…Describes Aida Ogwuche’s Blackmail As Ranting of an Ant
…Believes Propaganda Was Meant To Deceive The Public
…Says he Remains Only Valid, Recognized PDP Candidate for Enone
By Abdulateef Bamgbose
The Honourable Member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, The Hon. (Dr.) Francis Ottah Agbo, has advised the sacked candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for House of Representatives for Ado/Okpokwu/ Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Benue State, Barr. Aida Nath Ogwuche, to stop misleading Nigerians with media propaganda and blackmail over the recent judgement of the Court of Appeal which sacked and replaced her with Dr. Ottah Agbo.
Loading ...The Feed Back Lawmaker who doubles as Chairman Narcotic Drugs Committee and Spokesman of the Minority Caucus in the House, has also cautioned Barr. Aida Ogwuche to stop parading herself as the PDP candidate for the Federal Constituency otherwise known as Enone, as doing so would amount to contempt of the Court of Appeal where a 3 Man Panel of Justices of great repute sat and delivered a unanimous verdict which judiciary analysts say has done substantive and substantial justice to the question of who the authentic Enone PDP candidate is.
Recall that the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, had on Thursday, 12th January, 2023, in a unanimous judgement delivered by a 3-Man Panel, invalidated the nomination of Barr. Aida Ogwuche as the PDP candidate for Enone House of Representatives and ordered that a fresh Certificate of Return be issued Dr. Ottah Agbo, who came second at the May 23rd, 2022 PDP’s Primary Election, as the duly nominated candidate of the party!
Citing copiously, section 66(1)(f) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2022 as amended and authorities of both the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the 3-Man Panel faulted Barr. Aida Ogwuche for not resigning her appointment with Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as Civil Servant and concurrently as Principal Special Assistant to Benue State Governor, at least 30 days before the primary elections.
But in a dramatic twist, Barr. Aida Ogwuche took to the pages of newspapers and radio stations on Saturday, boasting that she had filed a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court and Stay of Execution of the appellate court’s judgement 24 hours after the delivery of the verdict, stressing that she remains the valid candidate of the party as “status quo” would be maintained.
While posturing, sanctimoniously with exagerated swagger, the ignominiously sacked Candidate, also boasted that the Supreme Court would upturn the judgement of the Court of Appeal, in no time.
In a statement signed Monday morning by the Director, Legal Services of the Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo’s Campaign Organisation, Barr. Godwin Eche Adole, the people of the Constituency were enjoined to disregard the media propaganda and join hands with the incumbent Parliamentarian who has since kick-started the machineries for winning the February 25 General Election for his party.
While stressing that his opponents are desperate and would stop at nothing to deceive the public, Dr. Ottah Agbo urged the people of Enone to discard Barr Aida Ogwuche’s Blackmail as a ranting of an ant!
The statement added that, Dr Ottah Agbo’s team of lawyers had swiftly applied and obtained a Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order of Court on Friday, the 13th January, 2023 and same was immediately served on INEC and PDP, to do the needful!
The statement also wondered why Barr. Aida Ogwuche would claim that her lawyers have filed a Stay of Court Order Execution at the Court of Appeal and a substantive appeal at the Supreme Court a day after the delivery of judgment in the two courts when in actual fact, all parties to the matter are yet to obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the substantive judgement.
It is also pertinent for the public to note that there is a difference between a DECLARATIVE and EXECUTORY Orders/ judgements .
It is important for the public and particularly the mass media to note and verify the judgement delivered by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, last Thursday, January 12 was a DECLARATIVE Judgement with clear Consequential Orders and there is no judicial precedence in any court in Nigeria where their Lordships have ever granted a Stay of Execution Order on a DECLARATIVE verdict arising from a pre-election matter.
There is no where in the world, including in the most rotten systems that an Appeal or Stay of Execution Order would be filed without the CTC. Nature and indeed natural justice abhors vacuum and until there is a contrary judgement from the apex court, the incumbent remains the Candidate for the February 25 General election!
Similarly, no court in Nigeria has ever granted a Stay of Execution Order on an EXECUTORY Order arising from a pre-election matter. Our case is a pre-election matter and the Appeal Court cannot do otherwise because pre-election matters are time bound!
And assuming without conceding that her lawyers have obtained the judgement CTC in 24 hours, after the judgement, which is Friday, could they have obtained the Appeal Court’s record same Friday, filed the Appeal and Stay of Execution Order same Friday as well? Not possible. Yet Barr.Aida Ogwuche is busy sponsoring campaign of calumny against the performing Rep Member, as well as, deceiving the public that her lawyers have successfully filed an appeal and Stay of Execution Order. The big questions begging for answers are; when were the papers filed? which court, was it filed on Saturday or Sunday and can they show us evidence of filing? Until answers to these questions are supplied, the people of Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency should discard their propaganda as the ranting of an ant! They are drowning.
We therefore, call on our teeming supporters, members of the People’s Democratic Party and the good people of Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Benue State, to remain calm and disregard the malicious news been spread by these desperate and anti democratic merchants in the failed attempts to discredit Dr. Ottah Agbo who is a prized asset of PDP and humanity.
We also want to state categorically that our candidate, Hon. Ottah Agbo remains the legitimate and stainless Candidate of PDP for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in the February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, pursuant to the judgment of the Court of Appeal that sacked the blackmailer!
It is also worthy of note that, neither a Notice of Appeal nor an Order for Stay has been served on Hon. Ottah Agbo or his Lawyers at press time!
We want to thank our teaming supporters for their steadfastness and commitment towards the struggle to reclaim the stolen mandate of Hon. Francis Ottah Agbo which has yielded results”, the statement reads.
