TAX SUIT: TENSION IN ABIA AS APPEAL COURT DELIVERS JUDGMENT SEPT 23

Tension has gripped Abia state over the impending judgment of a five man

panel of the Court of the Appeal sitting over appeals arising from the tax

forgery suit instituted against Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu by a chieftain of the

PDP in the state, Sir Friday Nwosu.
Nwosu who contested the December 8, 2014 PDP governorship primaries in

Abia state, had filed a suit accusing Ikpeazu of submitting forged tax

documents and false information to his party and the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC). But the Federal High Court, Owerri presided

over by Justice Lewis Allagoa, on July 8 , said Nwosu failed to prove a tax

forgery suit against the governor, but was silent on the issue of false

information. Justice Allagoa further stated that Ikpeazu was not the maker

of the tax documents.
But in a move which shocked keen observers of the tax forgery suit,

Ikpeazu last week, lodged an appeal against some aspects of the judgment

on which he secured victory in court.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the panel headed by Justice R.C. Agbo

which had directed all parties to file and exchange all processes on or

before Monday 19th September , is set deliver judgment on Friday September

23, 2016.
A source at the Abia Government House told our correspondent that Gov.

Ikpeazu's camp had been restless as they advance efforts to ensure the

judgment goes in their favour. According to the source, the governor has

constituted a 'contact team' which includes one of the first time senators

representing the state, a top monarch in the state and a renowned oil

marketer to reach out.
“The governor is worried over the constitution of the five man panel of

the court of Appeal to hear and deliver judgment on the matter. Gov.

Okezie Ikpeazu is not giving anything to chance; he has constituted a team

to reach out to all parts of the country to ensure that the judgment goes

in his favour.”
Close associates of the governor had earlier boasted that the appeals

filed by Nwosu would not be heard till the end of Ikpeazu's

administration. But the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab

Bulkachuwa last week, set up the Justice Agbo panel to hear and deliver

judgment on the matter which had suffered several delays despite being a

pre election suit which ought to have been decided before the governorship

election.
It is believed that the Supreme Court might be waiting on the conclusion

of the appeal to consolidate it with other appeals arising from the June

27th verdict of the Federal High Court 10 delivered by Justice Okon Abang

which sacked Ikpeazu, but was later reversed by another five man panel of

the Court of Appeal headed by Justice Morenike Ogunwumiju.

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