The Court of Appeal, Owerri Division has dismissed a case filed by the former minister of state for mines and steel development, Uche Ogah, against Chief Ikechi Emenike, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Abia State.
In a unanimous ruling on Tuesday, the appellate court struck out a motion for leave to appeal as an interested party, filed by Ogah to challenge the judgement of the Abia State High Court in suit No HUM/31/2022: High Chief Ikechi Emenike Vs APC and two others.
The High Court had in its judgment delivered on June 24, 2022, affirmed Emenike as the governorship candidate for the 2023 general election.
Emenike approached the Abia State High Court to determine whether himself haven emerged as the candidate of APC in the primary election conducted by the party on June 26, 2022, the party can refuse to submit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of the party.
He also asked the Court whether INEC upon the party submitting or uploading his name in its portal can decline to publish his name as the candidate of APC for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Abia State, among other issues for determination.
The Abia State High Court in the said judgement in favour of Emenike mandated APC to upload his name in INEC’s portal as the governorship candidate.
It compelled INEC to accept Emenike’s name as uploaded, publish the same as the candidate of APC for gubernatorial election in Abia State in the 2023 general elections.
The court restrained INEC from accepting or publishing the name of any other person as the candidate of APC in the said election other than Emenike.
