Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the member, representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, has faulted the judgment of the Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, describing it as a coup masterminded by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
The lawmaker, who chairs the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), said his removal was utra vires the law.
Citing Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution, he reasoned that the All Progressives Congress, APC’s case against his nomination was a pre-election matter, which only a Federal High Court and not the election petitions tribunal could adjudicate.
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Moreso, Ugochinyere argued that only a political party has the right to file a pre-election matter if a dispute arises over the nomination of its own candidates.
According to him, there is a subsisting Supreme Court judgment marked SC/CV/501/2023, wherein it described a political party that files a suit to challenge the nomination of the candidate of another party as a nosy busybody and a meddlesome interloper.
He alleged that Governor Udzodimma masterminded the tribunal’s verdict and likened to a legal coup, declaring that he would win the supplementary election, which the Tribunal ordered.
“Hope Uzodimma should know that we will never bow; Imo will win and Ideato will win. Let me state it clearly to Hope Uzodimma, the outcome of whatever happens in this House of Representatives election will not define who Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere is,” he declared.
“It has never been a do or die fight, but be rest assured that I will give it my best shot and my best shot has always been on the side of the people, sanctioned by God.
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“We are coming to Imo for campaigns, when we come down, Ndi Imo will see that nothing has happened in the past four years except using the common patrimony of the people to massage the over bloated ego of an under-serving emperor, who will soon be voted out by the people.
“Abazu won only one polling unit out of 346 polling units in the Ideato Federal Constituency and that is the person you want to make Reps member. Heroes do not trend on smooth ground; they meet their setback but they triumph by clinching the ultimate victory.
“In all these jokes from Uzodimma, we have remained the victors backed by the immeasurable love of God and support of our people. Tomorrow will tell.”
