Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the representative for Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, argued that the law was violated by the decision of the Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal that ousted him.
According to Ugochinyere, the head of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), “despite the obvious positions of law, the tribunal did what it did” in response to the ruling.
He cited Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution, which he claimed made the All Progressives Congress’s (APC’s) opposition to his nomination a subject for the general election.
He asserts that the electoral petitions tribunal cannot hear or decide such a pre-election lawsuit and must instead refer it to the Federal High Court.
Ugochinyere further criticised the decision, claiming that only a political party has the right to bring a pre-election matter when a nomination dispute concerns one of its own candidates.
Ugochinyere further contested the tribunal’s decision by citing a Supreme Court decision with the case number SC/CV/501/2023, where the high court referred to a political party that brings a lawsuit to contest the nomination of a candidate from another party as a nosy busybody and an intrusive invader.
He argued that despite the Supreme Court’s repeated rulings that no court of law can hear a case concerning the internal affairs of another political party, the tribunal had nonetheless proceeded with the removal of him due to a flawed petition submitted by the APC candidate, Abazu Chika Benson.
Ugochinyere said that Hope Udzodimma, the governor of Imo State, was responsible for the tribunal’s decision, which he called a legal coup.
He announced that he was prepared to win the additional election that the panel had mandated.
Hope Uzodimma is aware that Imo and Ideato will triumph and that we will never submit. I want Hope Uzodimma to understand that Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere is not defined by the results of this House of Representatives election.
“I will give it my best shot, and my best shot has always been on the side of the people, supported by God. It has never been a do-or-die fight, but you can be sure that I’ll give it my all.
“We are visiting Imo for campaigning, and when we go, Ndi Imo will see that nothing has changed in the past four years except for the emperor’s under-serving ego being stroked with the common patrimony of the people, who will soon be thrown out of office.
“The person you wish to appoint as a member of the House of Representatives is Abazu, who received only one vote out of 346 cast in the Ideato Federal Constituency. Heroes do not always progress smoothly; they have setbacks, but they prevail by securing the ultimate victory.
We have stayed the winners in all of these Uzodimma jokes because of the unfathomable love of God and the backing of our people. We’ll find out tomorrow.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, was mandated by the Tribunal to hold a special election in the constituency within 90 days.
