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George Onyejiuwa and Stanley Uzoaru,Owerri
A Federal Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital, has dismissed a suit filed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, challenging the emergence of Emeka Ihedioha as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator Anyanwu had approached the court seeking to nullify the victory of Ihedioha as the party’s governorship candidate, and that he be declared the authentic winner of the primary election.
Anyanwu, who is the incumbent senator representing Owerri Zone (Imo East) had accused the erstwhile deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of engaging in over voting, thuggery, which he alleged, swayed the polls in favour of Ihedioha.
Delivering judgment, yesterday, Justice Tijani Ringim said the plaintiff did not convince the court on the prayers he sought. He said from the allegations of Senator Anyanwu, the court could not establish the fact in his claims and, therefore, dismissed the suit for lack of proof.
The Imo governor-elect had won the governorship primary election of the party conducted in Owerri, on October 1, 2018, when he polled 1,723 to defeat his closest rival, Anyanwu, who polled 1,282.
While Anyanwu rejected the result of the governorship primary election, five other aspirants, namely Senator Athan Achonu, Prof. Jude Njoku, Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru (SAN), Chief George Ejike, congratulated Ihedioha on his victory as they had gone ahead to join his campaign train.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governorship and House of Assembly Petitions Tribunal, yesterday, granted application filed by counsel to governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Okey Amechi, for substituted service on the governor-elect, Ihedioha and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Chairman of the panel, Justice M.O Adewara, granted the leave to serve the second and third respondents on the wall of their buildings or by delivering same to an agent at the PDP office situated at 98 Okigwe Road,Owerri.
The AA governorship candidate, Uche Nwosu, had petitioned the election tribunal to quash the March 9 governorship election, which was won by the PDP candidate, Ihedioha.
Nwosu had prayed the tribunal to, among other things, “determine and, thus, declare that Ihedioha did not satisfy the requirement of Section 179 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), having failed to poll one-quarter of all the votes cast in, at least, two-thirds of the local government areas in Imo State at the governorship election, held on March 9, 2019.
“An order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a run-off election between the petitioners and the second and third respondents into the office of governor of Imo State, forthwith, as prescribed under Section 179 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
