Appeal Court quashes Ugochinyere’s disqualification, affirms his election as Imo Rep

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, on Wednesday, unanimously affirmed the election of the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, as the validly elected member of the House of Representatives.

In a unanimous judgment, the panel headed by Justice Abubakar Babandi Gumel overruled the judgment of the Imo State National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which had disqualified Ikenga and nullified his election on a pre-election matter of the primary election of the PDP despite plethora of authorities by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to the effect that Election Tribunals do not have jurisdiction over pre-election matters.

Speaking after the judgment, counsel to Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Emeka Ozoani, SAN, described the judgment as a victory for democracy and an end to political rascality. He said the travesty of the Tribunal judgment led to the filing of nine appeals before the Appeal Court, the highest number of appeals ever against a singular judgment in the nation’s election petition jurisprudence.

While commending the President of the Court of Appeal and the three members of the Panel, Barr Tochukwu Ohazuruike said: “The President of the Court of Appeal and the three Panel members deserve all the commendation for resisting the attempts to undermine them.

In his reaction, an excited Hon. Ugochinyere said God always vindicates the innocent.

He said this was not the opportunity cost for those who were killed in the battle, but it would, at least, show they did not die in vain.

He further stated, “Uzodimma is a sore loser. His candidate won only one polling unit out of 346 Polling units. Finished a distant third in the election yet went to the Tribunal to ask that he be declared the winner of the election and the Governor was spending public funds on such shameful enterprise to undermine the judiciary. But we thank God for this day.

“We can now start the burial arrangements for my uncle who was murdered in cold blood on 7th January so he can now rest in peace having been here till this final victory.”

He also cautioned Governor Hope Uzodimma to desist from sanctioning Imo residents with his non-state armed group, stressing that power.

As news of the judgment reached Ideato, there was instant jubilation, with markets and streets instantly turning into carnivals for the celebration of the legal victory.

The people of Ideato had overwhelmingly voted for Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere despite the opposition from the Hope Uzodimma-led government, whose candidate won only one polling unit out of the 346 Polling Units in the Federal Constituency during the February 25 election.

Reports of jubilation over the judgment also hit other Local Government Areas in the state and indeed across the entire South-East.