Anambra Central: Obiora commences legal moves to jail INEC boss, wants court to stop re-run election

THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Anambra Central Senatorial District of Anambra State, Dr Obiora Okonkwo has commenced contempt proceedings against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu for allegedly disobeying the order of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dicreed him to issue Certificate of Return to him as the winner of the Anambra Central Senatorial seat.

The process contained in Form 48, which is a notice for consequences of disobedience to court order, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1092/14 was on Thursday  filed at the registry of the court by his counsel, Sabastine Hon (SAN).

The document reads: “Take notice that unless you obey the decisions contained in the consent judgment of this honourable court made by Justice John Tsoho on December 13, 2017, already served on you on December 19, 2017, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

In addition to the contempt proceedings, Obiora has equally asked the Federal High Court to stop INEC from conducting the  re-run election for the Senatorial seat scheduled for January 13, 2018, as he has already been declared the winner of that election by a competent court of law.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1294/2017 filed yesterday at the registry of the court, Obiora (plaintiff) further asked the court to declare as invalid, null and void, all the processes leading to and consequent upon the scheduled rerun election, including announcement of results, declaration of the ‘winner,’ issuing of certificate of return to the ‘winner’ and the determination of an election petition or election petitions against any of the defendants.

The suit has 29 defendants including INEC, Chief Victor Umeh, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Flint Ikechukwu Obiekwe; United Progressive Party (UPP); Senator Chris Ngige; All Progressives Congress (APC); Oyeh Mercy Uche; Accord (A); Hon. Oby Kate Okafor; Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Chief Anayo Nweke; African Democratic Congress (ADC); Christopher Chukwendu; Citizens Popular Party (CPP); Okafor Ikechukwu; Independent Democrats (ID); Chief Dennis Oguguo; Kowa Party (KP) and Kingsley Nwafor.

The rest are Ekweozoh Nkem; Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP); Ubakamma Ikenna; National Conscience Party (NCP); Rev. Charles Ekwueme; People For Democratic Change (PDC); Igwilo Michael and Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).

Obiora also asked the court to make an order declaring that in view of the fact that he has already been declared by the Federal High Court, in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1092/2014, the senator-elect representing the Anambra Central Senatorial District, coupled with the fact that appeals Nos. SC.997/2017 are to the knowledge of INEC pending at the Supreme Court, the defendants are not competent in law to present themselves or to participate in the scheduled January 13, 2018 rerun election for the Anambra Central Senatorial District or on any other rescheduled date.

He further sought for an order of perpetual injunction restraining all the defendants from presenting themselves or permitting themselves to be presented as candidates /participating political parties in any rerun election (to be) conducted by INEC for Anambra Central Senatorial District, as he has already been declared the winner of that election in pre-election suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1092/2014, which decision has not been set aside.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suits.