Alex Enumah in Abuja
For the second time in less than two months, High Chief Ikechi Emenike has been declared winner and authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 governorship election in Abia State.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday in Abuja, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal against his nomination for lacking in substance and merit.
According to Justice Tijana abubakar, who read the lead judgment, “There is nothing meaningful for the appellant to ask in this appeal and it is therefore dismissed. The judgment of the lower court delivered on December 23 is hereby affirmed.”
Justice Abubakar meanwhile, stated that the judgment affects other related appeals before the apex court.
Chief Sampson Ogah had approached the apex court to upturn the judgments of the Court of Appeal, which had recognized Emenike as the duly elected candidate of the APC for the March 11 governorship poll in Abia State.
He had also prayed the apex court to order his party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize him as APC’s flag bearer in place of Emenike.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, in a judgment delivered last December by Justice Olabisi Ige had turned similar request.
The three-man panel of the appellate court had refused to grant his request because his alleged victory was from an illegal primary election.
The cases in which the appellate court gave its verdict in favour of Emenike are appeal No. CA/ABJ/1258 High Chief Ikechi Emenike Vs Sampson Uche Ogah & 3 Ors; and CA/ABJ/1257 APC Vs Sampson Uche Ogah & 3 Ors.
The appellate court also faulted Ogah’s emergence as APC’s candidate in another appeal marked No. CA/ABJ/1297 filed by Dan Eke.
According to the appellate court, Ogah lacked the locus to challenge the outcome of the party primary on the grounds that he did not participate in the exercise.
