The
Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Alex Otti after he was barred by a
Federal High Court from contesting the Gubernatorial election that
brought in Okezie Ikpeazu.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State (L) and Alex Otti (R)
The Supreme Court on Friday gave a nod to the request by All
Progressive Alliance’s governorship candidate in the 2015 election in
Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti, seeking to be allowed to appeal against
judgments relating to validity of Governor of Abia State,Okeize Ikpeazu
remaining in office.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, had denied Otti the opportunity to file
an appeal against the earlier judgments of a Federal High Court in
Abuja, delivered on June 27, 2016, which sacked Ikpeazu.
The appeal court had last year held that Otti could not file an
appeal against the judgments of the Federal High Court on the grounds
that he was not a party in the originating suits and that the matter was
an intra-party affair of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court had sacked Ikpeazu
over alleged falsehood and discrepancies in his tax documents attached
to Form CF001 which he submitted to the Independent National Electoral
Commission nominating him as the PDP governorship candidate in the 2015
election.
After he was denied opportunity to appeal by the Court of Appeal,
Otti had filed fresh motion seeking leave to join the appeal at the
Supreme Court.
In a ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court granted Otti, granted his
application and gave him leave to commence his appeal against the
judgments of the Court of Appeal.
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had in its judgments
nullified the two judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which on
June 27, 2016 removed Ikpeazu as Governor of Abia State.
A five-man panel of the appeal court led by Justice Helen
Ogunwumiju, also cancelled all the orders made in the two judgments by
Justice Okon Abang, including the one direcThe Abuja Division of the
Court of Appeal on Thursday nullified the two judgments of the Federal
High Court in Abuja, which on June 27 removed Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as
Governor of Abia State.
Among other orders made by Justice Abang but voided by the Court of
Appeal on Thursday was the one directing the Chief Judge of Abia State
to swear in Ogah as Governor of Abia State.
The Court of Appeal had delivered six judgments on six separate
appeals challenging the the judgments of Justice Abang on suit
FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2015 filed by Ogah and the other, FHC/ABJ/CS/1086/2014,
filed by Obasi Ekeagbara.
-NAN
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