Counsel to Senator Ifeanyi Araraume in the legal battle over the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo State Chapter in last year’s bye- election for Okigwe senatorial zone, Barr Emmanuel Nwosu has disclosed that the Supreme Court never made any consequential orders directing the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, to issue certificate of return to Mr Frank Ibezim as winner of the election.
Barr Nwosu also hinted that the same Supreme Court “never said that Ibezim is the APC candidiate”
Speaking to newsmen recently, the lawyer further hinted that Justice Amina Augie who read the judgement “had said their business was not to determine who is the winner or candidate of APC”.
Barr Nwosu who went down memory lane, disclosed that on the road to the December 5,2020 senatorial bye-election in Imo North (Okigwe Zone), about 11 aspirants including Senator Araraume, Ibezim, Mathew Omegara, Chikwem Onuoha, Athan Achonu, Bright Nwachukwu, Mark Uchendu, Acho Ihim and Uchenna Onyeiwu Uba,, had declared interest to vie for the ticket of APC.
He said five of them were cleared by the screening panel. The five cleared according to him, include Araraume, Uchendu, Nwachukwu and Edit Uwajumogu and one other person while those disqualifies were according to him, not expected to participate in the primary election exercise. He hinted that the screening committee also confirmed the report that all the disqualified six aspirants were out of the election.
Nwosu further hinted that after the September 5,2020 primary, the panel he said , was led by Senator Suradijum “wrote the result placing Ibezim Frank in first position, followed by Omegara and Araraume in third position.
He noted that petitions were sent to APC National Secretariat in Abuja over the alleged inclusion of names of disqualified aspirants in the result of the primary which also prompted one of the aspirants, Lady Onyeiwu Uba to head to court.
He said that while Araraume, Edith Uwajumogu and Omegara all filed motions to be joined in the suit, Ibezim allegedly did not join.
Barr Nwosu said it was the Federal High Court Owerri that ordered that Ibezim’s name be replaced with Araraume’s name.
He said that Ibezim went to appeal court to set aside Lady Uba’s suit for lack of interest and that he (Ibezim) was not given fair hearing. He re-emphasised that the Supreme Court on Friday, February 5, did not make any consequential order to INEC to issue Ibezim certificate of return nor did it say that Ibezim remained the candidate of APC for the election.
The lawyer equally disclosed that the December 4, 2020 judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja presided over by Justice Ekwo goes to confirm Ibezim’s disqualification by the APC screening and appeal committees earlier.
He said the position of the law in this regard meant that since Araraume filed “Notice of Appeal” and “secured stay of execution” which he said, were served on INEC and the parties to the suit filed by Ibezim at the Appeal Court, Araraume’s name according to him, remained the “proper candidiate” for the December 5, 2020 senatorial election.
Nwosu maintained that on February 4, 2021, Court of Appeal Abuja delivered a judgement affirming the earlier judgement of Justice Ekwo’s Federal High Court judgement disqualifying Ibezim.
