September 29, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court has affirmed Senator Athan Achonu as the authentic candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the November 11th gubernatorial election in Imo State.
The court dismissed the appeal filed by Basil Madura against the LP over the rightful candidate of the party in the election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Joseph Ukaegbu, popularly known as Ikenga, the candidate for Lamidi Apapa, whose motion for a consequential order was also denied by the Supreme Court, were the other two respondents in the case.
A statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, informed that the judgement was made by a five-member panel of Justices led by Iyang Okoro.
It reads in part: “The Supreme Court of Nigeria today dismissed an appeal brought before it by one Basil Maduka against the Labour Party over the rightful candidate of the party in the Imo State governorship election on the ground of locus standi.
“With this judgement by the highest court in Nigeria, the Lamidi Apapa’s plot to hijack the affairs of the Labour Party, including the powers to nominate candidates, has finally come to an end.”
“Counsel to the Labour Party, Okwudili Anozie, said, “Today, at the Supreme Court, the antics of Basil Maduka and his accomplice, Joseph Ukaegbu, alias Ikenga, was put to an end as they met their Waterloo at the Apex Court.
“Today was a culmination of their deceit and lies to Imolites spanning from their misrepresentation of the true position of the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
“Upon the exposure and collapse of their lies before the Supreme Court today, Basil’s Counsel, with tails in between his legs, immediately withdrew his subterfuge appeal that was aimed at giving credence to Ukaegbu’s sham, non-existent primaries.
“The Supreme Court didn’t entertain Ukaegbu’s counsel’s ignorant attempt to seek a consequential order, which even a first-year student of law knows cannot be sought by a Respondent, especially in this case where the appeal was dismissed.
“Indeed, today has been a day of reckoning for evil-doers whose sole plan was to stop the aspiration of Imolites in their determination to Take Imo Back through Senator Athan Nneji Achonu.”
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