+ Johnson Ibeh
IKENGA IMO UGOCHINYERE BOOTED OUT AS ELECTION PETITIONS TRIBUNAL DECLARES HIS ELECTION A NULLITY
PDP Chalice in the 2023 Federal Legislative elections has continued to prove a poisoned one following their substantial non-compliance to electoral act in the aspect of jurisdiction for the conduct of primaries.
The Elections Petitions Tribunal of Imo State sitting in Nasarawa, nullified the election of IKENGA IMO UGOCHINYERE following the proof that their primary election that produced him to fly the flag of PDP in the general election was held in Aladimma Owerri, a jurisdiction outside the stipulated jurisdiction permitted by electoral act.
Recall that PDP held their Federal lawmakers primary elections including Senate and Federal House of Representatives primary elections in Owerri, flouting the elctoral act provisions that stipulate that it.must be held within the jurisdiction of the Federal Constituency. There argument of purported insecurity could not hold water and therefore it became a poisoned chalice.
Recall that same reason was what nullified the candidature of Rt. Hon. Jones Onyeriri for Senatorial race of Orlu zone.
The implications of this ruling is that every Lawmaker of Federal Constituency from Orlu zone, including Ozb produced on the platform of PDP, through the poisoned primaries that held at Aladimma Owerri, is to face the same fate as Ugochinyere and Jones Onyeriri.
This is another setback for Samdaddy and his campaign as his Director General and Deputy Director General face the same fate of poisoned chalice.
The tribunal led by Justice Anthony Olotu Akpovi ordered supplementary elections in the 55 polling units where elections failed to hold and further ordered that all other candidates will participate except Ugochinyere and PDP. It therefore becomes a photofinish race between Dr Paschal Obi of Labour party and Dr Abazu of APC for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency.
- Johnson Ibeh
Dolly Online News, 2023
