BEVERLY HILLS, AUGUST 01 , (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has instituted a legal action before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking a nullification of the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in issuing a Certificate of Return to Uche Ogah, in adherence to a court ruling.
It would be recalled that Justice Okon Abang of the same court had on June 27, 2016 ordered the electoral body to issued Ogah, who contested against Okezie Ikpeazu during the PDP’s 2014 primary election in Abia State, with Certificate of Return after it sacked Governor Ikpeazu over tax evasion. INEC proceeded to issue Ogah with the certificate of return in line with the court’s ruling.
However, in a suit filed by its counsel, Dr. Paul Ananaba, SAN, before the same court, the party is seeking an annulment of the Certificate of Return issued Ogah on the grounds of false statement.
The party stated that the election that produced the Ikpeazu was the April 25, 2005 election and not the April 11,2015 election which INEC declared inconclusive, stressing that the Certificate of Return issued to Ogah is null and void and of no effect.
PDP is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction stopping Ogah from being sworn in and that he be restrained from parading the Certificate of Return issued to him by INEC.
In the suit, the party is seeking clarification from the court on the following area: “Whether the information on the Certificate of Return dated 28th of June , 2016 and issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah on the 30th day of June, 2016 stating that Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been elected to the office of Governor of Abia State at the election held on the 11th day of April 2015 is false since INEC declared the governorship election of that date inconclusive.
“That was saying that no conclusive governorship election was held in Abia State on the 11th day of April, 2015 and no candidate of PDP or of any other political party at the said election including Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah was ever returned as elected at the said election declared as inconclusive by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“Whether the election into the office of the governor of Abia State held on the 11th day of April, 2015 was declared inconclusive and whether a certificate of return can be validly issued to Uche Ogah by INEC based on the inconclusive governorship election conducted by INEC on the 11th day of April, 2015.”
Stressing that there was no conclusive governorship election in the state on April 11, 2015, Ananaba said, “That there was no conclusive governorship election held by INEC on the 11th day of April, 2015 and return of any candidate as elected to the office of Governor of Abia State to warrant the issuance of the certificate of return dated 28/6/2016 by INEC to Uche Ogah as having been elected to the office of the Governor of Abia state at the election held on 11th day of April, 2015.”
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