THE THIRD GOVERNOR MAY EMERGE IN ABIA STATE BY MONDAY

If feelers from Abia State is true, a third governor may be on his way to the government house in the God’s own State of Abia within one week. The confusion, triggered by Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, who obtained a court order which sacked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and affirmed him as governor-elect, expanded, at   the weekend, as the third contender to the Abia governorship emerged.

 A PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 elections, Friday Nwosu, filed a suit against the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared Ogah as governor-elect. Nwosu averred that the court, having disqualified Ikpeazu as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Abia in the 2015 polls, should have declared him as   governor-elect and not Ogah.

The PDP governorship aspirant argued that the court ought not to have allowed Ogah to benefit from the primary election he condemned by refusing to sign the result while also petitioning the leadership of the party and asking it to conduct another primary election.

Meanwhile, In his Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016, filed at the Federal High Court, Owerri against Ogah, the PDP,   Ikpeazu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nwosu   is seeking five reliefs:

“An order setting aside the declaration of the 1st  respondent, Uche Ogah, as the elected governor of Abia State as declared by the trial court, an   order that the 1st respondent is stopped from claiming any right or benefit from the 2nd respondent’s (PDP) gubernatorial primary election of 8/12/2014 in Abia State having waived his right to do so; an order striking out the 1st  respondent’s (Uche Ogah)’s suit on the ground that it constitutes an abuse of court process; an order that the suit of 1st  respondent i.e. (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016)  is incompetent and the trial court lacks the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit.” He further stated: “The judgment is in error and cannot stand judicial scrutiny.

 Dr. Uche Ogah should not be allowed to benefit from an exercise he totally condemned by refusing to sign the result and petitioning the party to conduct another primary election. He should wait for the rerun of the PDP primary   which he prayed for in his petition to the party. In the eyes of the law, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Sir Friday Nwosu   were the only candidates who ran for the party primary. Since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been disqualified, I remain the lawful candidate of the PDP and ought to be declared governor.”

Justice A.I. Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Owerri has fixed Monday  to hear Nwosu’s suit against Ikpeazu and Ogah.

If the court grants Nwosu’s prayer tomorrow, he would be the third person to lay claim to the governorship seat of Abia State in one week. Nigerians await the last to be heard from the whole drama.