Enugu Guber Tussle: Court reserves judgment

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

The Court of Appeal Abuja has reserved judgment on a suit challenging the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Enugu State governorship primary that produced Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as candidate.

Sen. Anyogu Eze, an aspirant in that contest, had filed the appeal at the appellate court.

Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, who led the 3-man panel on Thursday, reserved the judgment after counsel to the parties had adopted their written addresses.

Akomolafe-Wilson said parties would be duly informed when the judgment was ready.

Eze had prayed the court to remove the governor, adding that he (Ugwuanyi) was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the April 11, 2015, governorship election.

According to him, the governor emerged from an invalid primary election conducted on Dec. 8, 2015, by strange people who had claimed to be leaders of the party.

Mr. Adebayo Adelodun (SAN), counsel to Eze, said Ugwuanyi was merely picked by some persons at the National Headquarters of the party in Abuja.

“My Lords, the purported primary election was organized with doctored list of delegates.

“We have provided substantial evidence in this case to cause the removal of the governor,’’ he said.

The appellant had also prayed the court to set aside the judgment of Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja which dismissed his suit on March 2, 2015.

Eze had prayed the court to give approval to the parallel primary that produced him.

The appellant had further prayed the court to declare him as the authentic governorship candidate of the party in Enugu State.

Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), counsel to the governor had however urged the court to dismiss the pre-election, adding that it is bereft of merit.

Olanipekun said his client did file an appeal marked CA/A/157b/2015, wherein he challenged validity of the parallel primary election that produced Eze.

He argued that Eze lacked the locus-standi to query his ticket since he did not participate in the primary conducted by the National Working Committee of the party.

“My Lords, the appellant had walked out on the committee that conducted the election. In fact, he refused to abide by the modalities of the primary known to the NWC of the party,’’ he said.

However, NAN reports that the counsel to the governor exhibited result of the primary approved by national leadership of the party.

The document contains names of all the governorship aspirants, including that of appellant.

Olanipekun said: “Though the document contained Eze’s name, but no result was credited to him considering that he boycotted the process.

“He boycotted the election alongside another aspirant, Dr Maduka Onyishi.’’