Reprieve for Okorocha as Court Nullifies Imo APC Congresses

Amby Uneze in Owerri

The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has experienced a reprieve in his political battle with his opponents as a Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the state capital, thursday nullified the wards, local government areas (LGAs) and state congresses of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa, in a judgment that lasted for one hour ordered APC “to be responsible, and save our democracy by conducting free and fair congresses in Imo State.”

The judge who dismissed a motion filed by the defendants, insisted that his court had jurisdiction to hear the matter.

He said the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs suggesting that there was no ward congress in the state on May 5, 2018, was factual.
Allogoa equally said the recorded “press interview between the state commissioner of police, ,the state governor, and Senator Osita Izunaso ,that there was no APC ward congress in Imo State on May 5, was justifiable in law .

The judge also cited a report of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which confirmed that there was no APC ward congress in the state on May 5.

The judge said, “APC should go and be responsible and save our democracy. The defendants and the plaintiffs are members of the same political party, APC .There is no victor, no vanquished”.

The plaintiffs who are members of a faction of the party loyal to the state governor, had approached the court seeking among other things, “a declaration that the ward congress of the APC in thestate, which was fixed for May 5, was inconclusive and did not hold, since there was no result there from .

“A declaration that since the ward congress was not concluded and the result declared, the defendants cannot organism, conduct or hold LGA congress or any other congress flowing from it as it is only the delegates that will participate in the other congresses.

“An order of injunction restraining the defendants by themselves, agents,or privies from announcing or declaring or making reference to non- existing results of the ward congress purportedly claimed to have been released by them as results of the inconclusive ward congress”.

These prayers were granted by the court.

The defendants in the suit were a faction of the party loyal to the Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, who is in a running political battle with the governor.