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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP, Abia state chapter, has said it would stage a state wide protest over the delay in swearing in the member -elect for Aba North state constituency in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Aaron Uzodike.
The Court of Appeal, had on November 27, 2023, nullified the election of Hon. Destiny Nwagwu, of the Labour Party and declared Uzodike of the PDP, as the winner of the March 18 state Assembly poll held in the constituency.
However, the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, had up till now, 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 Norman Obinna, flanked by other state chairmen of the member parties of the CUPP, explained that its decision to organize a state wide peaceful protest followed the expiration of a 7 day ultimatum to Gov Alex Otti and Emeruwa,to swear in the member elect.
He stated that INEC had issued a certificate of return to Uzodike which he submitted to the Speaker and Clerk of the Assembly and wondered why the speaker has 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 Alex 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 stated.
