CUPP to protest delay in swearing in of Abia Assembly member-elect

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP, Abia State chapter, has said it will stage a state-wide protest over the delay in swearing in the member-elect for Aba North State constituency in the House of Assembly, Aaron Uzodike.

The Court of Appeal had, on November 27, 2023, nullified the election of Destiny Nwagwu of the Labour Party (LP) and declared Uzodike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as winner of the March 18 state Assembly poll in the constituency.

However, Speaker of the Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa, has not sworn in the member-elect, alleging a court order which restrained him from swearing in Uzodike.

Addressing a press conference in Umuahia, State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and member of CUPP, Don Obinna, flanked by other state chairmen of the member parties of CUPP, said its decision to organise a state-wide peaceful protest followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Alex Otti and Emeruwa to swear in the member-elect.

He said the Independent National Electoral Commission had issued a certificate of return to Uzodike which he submitted to the speaker and clerk of the Assembly and wondered why the speaker had refused to swear him in.

He also disclosed that the CUPP has investigated the alleged court order which purportedly restrained the speaker from swearing him in and discovered that such order does not exist in any court in the country.

CUPP accused Governor Otti of being behind the plan not to swear in the member-elect and urged him to immediately direct the speaker to swear in Uzodike.

“We hereby call upon the members of the public, lovers of democracy and justice and civil societies to resist this obvious threat to democracy which is capable of disrupting the relative peace in the state,” Obinna said.