Abia: Tinubu, Okorocha Deny Ikpeazu Access
In line with the controversy trailing the sack of governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Abia state by a Federal High Court, Abuja, more development seems not to be lagging behind following his recent visit to the chieftain and leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
His recent visit to Burdillion came after Justice Okon Abang gave a judgment following a suit filed by Uche Ogah, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member stating that Ikpeazu does not possess the requisite qualifications to contest the election as governor, in that he did not furnish credible evidence of payment of tax to the Abia State Government.
Before his visit, it could be disclosed that Ikpeazu also made such visit to his Imo counterpart, Owelle Rochas Okorocha through his son-in-law’s Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu, when he virtually attended all functions organized by Nwosu in Nkwere hometown during his court tussle with Dr. Alex Otti.
However, we were authoritatively informed that he first approached Okorocha who in an outright move denied him access following his first attempt at him when Dr. Otti’s case against him was on.
When the case ended as informed, it was stated that Ikpeazu failed to fulfill his own side of the agreement with the Imo governor who felt used, before throwing a rejection at him that made his intension strong towards visiting the leader of the APC in the Southwest, Bola Tinubu.
While such attempt was made, we were not verifiably informed to the very aim behind his visit to Burdillion, but we were made to understand that neither Owelle Rochas Okorocha nor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu stretched their rescuing hands at the Abia embattled governor, as he was never granted an attention.
In his judgment of Monday, June 27, 2016 in a suit filed by Uche Ogah, Justice Okon Abang ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Ogah who came second in the PDP primary, as the elected candidate.
In the suit, Ogah had contended that Ikpeazu evaded tax prior to his election and as such was not qualified to hold elective office.
The chief press secretary to Governor Ikpeazu, Enyinnaya Appollos confirmed his Boss’ trip to Asiwaju, but did not disclose why it was made. He went further to condemn INEC in its decision to tender Certificate of Return to Uche Ogah, saying that it was wrong as well as illegal for INEC to have issued him a certificate of return when in effect the governor had on Wednesday filed an appeal against Monday’s judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja which removed him from office.
He said the Governor, in a notice of appeal filed by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, raised five grounds of appeal upon which he asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment and orders of the high court, stressing that the Federal High Court lacked the power to order him to vacate the seat of Abia State Governor.
According to him, “the only power, authority and order exercisable by the Federal High Court was to disqualify the candidate from contesting the election based on section 31(6) of the Electoral Act 2010 and reiterated that it was wrong for INEC to have acted the way it did.”
Appollos further stated that INEC lied when it said it did not receive any Notice of Appeal from Governor Okezie Ikpeazu or an injunction stopping the Commission from issuing a Certificate of Return to Dr. Uche Ogah. He stated that the Commission was duly served and it indeed received the documents and they were acknowledged by Saleh N. Ibrahim, a Senior Clerical Officer at the Legal Services Department of the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja.
In his reaction, Ogah’s media aide, Kalu Peter said INEC acted wisely and within the ambit of the law by issuing Ogah a certificate of return, saying that the Commission couldn’t have done otherwise under the present circumstance.
Peter said the Abia High Court order restraining INEC from issuing Ogah the certificate of return and from being sworn in as governor was given hours after his principal had already received the document.
On the impediments on the way of Ogah being sworn in as governor, the media aide said, “The desperation in stopping Ogah from being sworn in as governor including the public holidays hurriedly put in place as they claimed absence of the Chief Judge will not work.
“Chief Judge from a neighboring state went to Rivers State to swear in Governor Nyesom Wike after the elections and that of Abia might not be different. Ogah is going to be sworn in any moment and public holidays will be inconsequential”, Peter said.
James Morgan, Umuahia, Abia state ( [email protected] )