While he is still at the election petition tribunal challenging the election of Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the name of Uche Nwosu as a governorship candidate in the last election.
Justice Inyang Ekwo said Senator Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law’s ticket has been voided because of double nomination by two political parties. The parties are: All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Action Alliance (AA) . This is in violation of section 37 of the Electoral Act.
This came as Nwosu, a son-in-law to the immediate-past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, is currently pursuing an election petition at the state’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, as the candidate of Action Alliance, challenging the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, in the March 11, 2019 poll.
In his judgment on Monday, Justice Ekwo upheld the argument of the plaintiffs, the Action People’s Party and its Deputy National Chairman, Mr. Uche Nnadi, that Nwosu’s governorship candidature was null and void on the grounds of multiplicity of nominations as the governorship candidate of both the APC and AA.
The judge declared that the nomination of Nwosu by AA as a governorship candidate “is invalid, null and void, having been made at the pendency of similar nomination of the 2nd defendant (Nwosu) by the All Progressives Congress for the same position”.
The judge noted that Nwosu affirmed to be the APC’s governorship candidate in his statement on oath sworn before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory
The judge similarly declared that Nwosu “has not been validly nominated by the 3rd defendant (AA) as its governorship candidate for the Imo State governorship election having been made at the pendency of the order of Justice Valentine Ashi of the Abuja High Court recognising the 2nd defendant as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Imo State 2019 governorship election.”
EFCC has been on the trail of Okorocha and his family including Uche Nwosu’s wife who is daughter to the firmer governor of Imo State.
