From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress in Imo State led by Governor Hope Uzodimma to disqualify the PDP candidate for the Ideato Federal Constituency election, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere ahead of the 2023 general polls suffered a major set back as the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital quashes suit filed by the APC to disqualify Ikenga from participating in the election.

The ruling Party had approached the Court to disqualify only Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere on the basis that his primary election was conducted in Owerri, the state capital, and not within the Federal constituency.

The suit singled out Ikenga Ugochinyere despite the fact that all forty PDP legislative election primaries in Imo State were held at the same time and venue because of the prevailing in insecurity in the Orlu zone .

Justice M. A. Onyetenu, in his Judgment, on Friday declared that the suit was baseless and vexatious and only amounted to meddlesomeness by the Plaintiff since APC, as a political does not have any business challenging the primaries of another political party.

The presiding Judge said the primary election that produced Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere as proper and in line with the Electoral Act as amended.

Following the judgement , the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has congratulated their Candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, on his victory over the APC at the Federal High Court, Owerri.

Mr. Collins Opuruzor , State Publicity Secretary of the party said: ” This victory is indeed a fatal blow to the conspiracy by the decadent APC in Imo State led by Senator Hope Uzodinma to subdue the wishes of Ideato people and usurp political power through the back door, so as to continue the underdevelopment of the land.

Continuing , he said, ” Imo PDP, therefore, rejoices with Ideato people and dedicates this victory to all the sons and daughters of Ideato who are determined to end the unacceptable failure of political leadership in the area. For our Party, the mission to liberate Ideato from poor and ruinous misrepresentation has now become unstoppable.

“Senator Uzodinma and his very few local collaborators within Ideato are obviously in severe agony in view of this defeat. They are aware that the shadowy character who they parade as candidate in Ideato is not in any way a match to Ikenga Ugochinyere, our well-loved Candidate. This is the reason they have resorted to many mind-boggling, wicked and anti-people plots day after day: from voter register compromise to destruction of Ikenga’s billboards, and now to failed lawsuits. They deserve to be pitied!

To be sure, the sadistic APC does not want to win Ideato in order to do anything different from what they have done in the past. No. They are seeking to continue the mass misery in the land which they created. This is a party that has terminated the NEWMAP erosion control project in Urualla. Today, over five communities in Urualla are about to be swept out by erosion.

This same APC has kept the entire Ideato in darkness and without electricity for over one decade. They have terminated over thirty RAMP rural roads awarded by our Party in 2019, and they have also failed to account for about N32.7 billion which has accrued to two LGAs of Ideato as statutory allocations from FAAC. It is very heartbreaking that this APC has not dropped one trip of construction sand anywhere in Ideato in the last three years.”

Also , Ikenga Ugochinyere hailed the Nigerian judiciary as truly the last hope of the common man and the bastion of the Nigerian democracy, saying for the eighth straight time he had obtained judicial victory in the race for the Federal House. He also described the Judgment as yet another resounding victory for democracy, noting that he was sure of a tsunami of votes with this hurdle out of the way.

Meanwhile, the entire Ideato Federal constituency has been into a frenzy of jubilation following the Court judgment, with cars blaring their horns, market women singing songs, and youths running around the villages singing songs of victory saying Ikenga is their warrior who will win their wars for them.

The PDP Chairman of Ideato South and North, Chief Durukweaku, and Chief ThankGod Okeke, while reacting to the Judgment and calling on Ideato People to Vote for PDP and Ikenga, said that the Judgment had reaffirmed the Peoples confidence that Ikenga, if elected the Representative for Ideato Federal Constituency have the capacity to effectively represent Ideato people and attract sustainable home infrastructure and other dividends of democracy.

In Ikenga, Ideato People, the Igbo race, and Nigeria will have a strong voice and courageous defender of democracy, justice, and good governance. They said .