The Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, on Friday,
dismissed a suit challenging the nomination and election of Okezie
Ikpeazu as governor of Abia State last year.
A former governorship aspirant, Friday Nwosu, had filed a suit
challenging the nomination of Mr. Ikpeazu as candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party during the party’s primaries in December 2014.He contended that the tax documents presented by the governor were forged.
The PDP and another aspirant, Uche Ogah, were listed as defendants in the suit.
But ruling on the matter, Justice A.I. Allagoa, said Mr. Nwosu could not prove that the tax documents were forged.
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja had last week sacked Mr. Okezie and ordered the swearing in of Mr. Ogah as governor of Abia State.
Following the judgement, Mr. Nwosu rushed to the court in Owerri to also lay claim to the governorship seat.
Also on Monday, the Abia State High Court in Osisioma granted a motion filed by Mr. Ikpeazu for extension of Order restraining the Chief Judge of Abia State, the President of the Abia State Customary Court of Appeal and any other judicial officer from swearing in Mr. Ogah, as governor of the state.
The court extended the order to July 18. The earlier order was to last one week.
Meanwhile, Mr. Abang has formally transferred further proceedings in the matter between Messrs Ikpeazu and Ogah to the Court of Appeal.
He said he no longer had jurisdiction to hear the matter.
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