Aggrieved Candidates Have Right to Seek Redress in Court, Abia Royal Fathers Say

The traditional rulers in Umuahia North Local Government of Abia State have said that any governorship candidate with good reason to challenge the outcome of the March 18 governorship election in the state should not be vilified or denied such right.

The Chairman of Supreme Council of Ikwuano/Umuahia Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu, made this known Tuesday while reacting to “a malicious” social media post concocted with his name and photograph.

The post said that the royal fathers had purportedly issued a “royal ultimatum to Abia APC governorship candidate” to jettison his alleged intention to challenge the outcome of the 2023 governorship poll in court.

But Eze Ofoegbu expressed alarm and disgust that somebody could cook up such falsehood and use his name and photograph in a bid to give undue credibility to his cocktail of lies and fabrications.

He said: “We did not hold any emergency meeting to discuss about any governorship candidate and I did not speak with any journalist on giving ultimatum to High Chief Ikechi Emenike.

“If Emenike or any person wants to go to court over the result of the governorship election it is a constitutional right of anybody with grievances to go to court for redress.”

Eze Ofoegbu, who is the traditional ruler of Umudiawa autonomous community and also the Chairman of Ndi Eze Ohuhu Council, said that it is Illogical, outlandish and even laughable to suggest that an illustrious Ohuhu son would be banished from the land for exercising his constitutional right.

He disclosed that he was not taking the matter lying low, adding that he has reported it to the police and a manhunt has been launched to fish out the person using his name to tell lies, cause confusion and mistrust.

Meanwhile, the media director of the Ikechi Emenike Campaign Council, Mr. Tony Eze, has alleged that desperados in Abia Labour Party (LP) were behind the blackmail and identity theft of using the name of royal fathers for mischievous purposes.

He said that it was the same desperation displayed during the election that the LP elements now want to ramp up this time around, thereby giving the impression that the victory they claimed has become an albatross.

“These desperados and blackmailers should explain to Abians why they are afraid of their shadows. If they said they have won an election they shouldn’t be afraid of defending it in court.

“At the national level, the Labour Party is challenging the outcome of the presidential election in court. In Enugu State they are also contesting the result of the gubernatorial poll in court. Why then is Abia Labour Party afraid and jittery over defending its position in court,” the media director added.

Eze noted that though Emenike has not told anyone that he was going to court over the outcome of the governorship poll, the desperate elements in LP were already up in arms trying to blackmail him and whip up sentiments.

But he assured detractors that their antics would not work as the APC governorship candidate “will never succumb to blackmail as he has always been known as a gallant fighter, who fights for just cause”.