Anthony Iwuoma
The hope of senator Ifeanyi Araraume to fly the flag of All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday, went up in in smoke as the special panel of the Court of Appeal headed by Hon. Justice Uche Onyemenam upturned the decision of the Federal High Court, Owerri.
The Owerri court had ordered the substitution of the name of Sir Frank Ibezim with that of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the APC candidate for the Imo North Senatorial District by-lection coming up tomorrow.
In its judgement, the Court of Appeal faulted the decision of the Federal High Court, which it said was made without jurisdiction.
It held that political party primaries and the choice of a political party over its candidate in an election is the internal affair of the political party and, therefore, non-justiciable.
The court strongly condemned the orders made against Ibezim, who was not a party in the suit in which the Federal High Court made the said orders and neither was he joined before the orders were made.
The news of the Appeal Court’s ruling has set rapturous joy across Imo North where Ibezim, with his groundswell support base is seem as having been elected already.
The judgment, it is now very clear that the candidate of the APC for tomorrow’s Senatorial bye-election in Imo North , is Mr. Ibezim, a former commissioner for agriculture and natural resources on Imo State.