Action Alliance (AA) candidate for Bende federal constituency of Abia State in the February 25, 2023 elections, Ifeanyi Igbokwe, has distanced himself from any attempt to upturn the election of the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, sitting at Umuahia, the State capital.
Speaking on a radio programme on Rapid FM in Umuahia after filing a withdrawal motion on notice before the Tribunal, Igbokwe expressed shock that someone used his name to file a suit against Kalu at the Tribunal.
He said that he was impersonated by someone yet to be identified at the Tribunal, insisting he never filed or authoritised any legal action against Rt. Hon. Kalu.
Igbokwe also said he had written to the Police and the Department of State Service (DSS) to fish out the impersonators including the lawyers, who represent them, because according to him, whoever hired the lawyers also hired the impersonators.
The development has put the candidate of the Labour Party in the election, Frank Chinasa, in a quagmire because he did not contest Kalu’s electoral victory before the Tribunal.
Chinasa in his case only contested the legality of the process of the Kalu’s name change, a matter that had previously been decided in 2020 by Hon. Justice A. O Chijioke at an Abia State High Court, Umuahia, in favour of Kalu when it was first presented by one Okey Ezeala.
The decision of the court still subsists as it was never appealed.
However, speaking on the radio programme, the AA candidate Igbokwe said: “I was at home drinking my tea and watching the news until someone called me to inform me that I had a case in court against the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu. So, I was surprised that people were calling me from my own place and constituency telling me about the court case. I accepted the results from the elections, accepted defeat, and said ‘to God be the glory’.
“Now, I am shocked that someone is even representing me. This is my poster and this is my voter’s card, this is my party card so how come somebody is representing me and I didn’t know anything about it?
“Even my lawyer is surprised also. When we heard it, we were like ‘ah! ah!’, see Rt. Hon Ben that we are all rejoicing for his new position, and I am telling people that he is my brother from Bende. So why will I start fighting my own brother?
“We have gone to court, sworn every affidavit, and we are writing to DSS and the IG of Police because I want to know the person impersonating me. I want to clear my name first. I want to tell the people of Abia state and Bende that I accept defeat, and I want to tell Deputy Speaker that I am not fighting him. I don’t know the person impersonating me but I will fish him out and come back to inform you people,” he said.
