Ugo Aliogo
The Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba Campaign Organisation has refuted reports that a court has stopped Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba of the Accord Party (AP) from contesting the House of Representatives seat in Okigwe South Federal Constituency of Imo State.
The judgment of the court centred on whether the APC followed its own rules in producing a candidate for the Okigwe South Federal Constituency and whether the candidate that emerged could be said to have been validly nominated.
The organisation said Justice Bello Kawu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruled that the APC did not complied with its constitution, the Electoral Act of 2010 and the guideline for nomination of candidate for Okigwe Federal Constituency which did not have anything to do with Nwajiuba.
In a statement made available to THISDAY last night, the organisation added that the court restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting the nomination the APC candidate, who the court deemed to be the beneficiary of the process which the judge described as inappropriate, unlawful and null and void for failure to comply with the party’s guidelines for nomination of candidates.
It noted that Nwajiuba has vigorously prosecuted his campaign with the sole aim of winning and providing effective representation to the people of his constituency without external manipulation.
The organisation added that Nwajiuba cannot suffer any disability arising from the court ruling, in respect of primaries conducted by the APC.
The statement read: “We are surprised at your story which flies in the face of the unambiguous intendment of the ruling, to the effect that the APC does not have a candidate for the Okigwe South constituency, in the forthcoming House of Representatives election. This misrepresentation and the arising confusion could have been averted if your reporters, who are embedded in the state, had diligently followed political developments.
“The judgment of the court centred on whether the APC followed its own rules in producing a candidate for the Okigwe South Federal Constituency and whether the candidate that emerged could be said to have been validly nominated.
“In his judgment, the trial judge, the Hon. Justice Bello Kawu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruled that the APC had not complied with its constitution, the Electoral Act of 2010 and the guideline for nomination of candidate for Okigwe Federal Constituency.
“He therefore restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting the nomination the APC candidate, who the court deemed, to be the beneficiary of the process which the judge described as inappropriate, unlawful and null and void for failure to comply with the party’s guidelines for nomination of candidates.”
