Imo Guber: LP reacts to Court judgement, insists on Achonu as candidate

The leadership of the Labour Party in Imo State has insisted that Sen Athan Achonu remains the candidate of the party in the November 11 Governorship election in Imo State.

The State chairman of the party, Barr Calistus Ihejiagwa, said this in a statement issued in Owerri Friday in reaction to the ruling by the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri on Friday, which reemphasized the implications of lack of jurisdiction in a motion to leave to appeal as an interested party filed by Sen. Atan Achonu.

The party expressed surprise that Chief Ukaegbu Ikechukwu Joseph and his co-dreamers have flooded social media with yet another propaganda and falsehood that the Court of Appeals has declared him the candidate of LP in a matter he was neither the plaintiff nor appellant.

Barr Ihejiagwa, who dismissed the claims by Chief Ukaegbu, maintained that there is no truth in such information.

He said: “No Court, either the Federal High Court or Court of Appeal, ever declared him Labour Party candidate”.

The State chairman urged the general public to disregard the falsehood, propaganda, and dirty political representation of the court by Chief Ukaegbu Ikechukwu Joseph and his co-dreamers.

He said: ” Ukaegbu is a known propagandist enlisted by the All Progressive Congress APC to peddle propaganda against LP and to distract the party.”

The LP chairman accused Chief Ukaegbu of mischievously misrepresenting the judgement of the  Federal High Court delivered on the 23rd of June, 2023, by Hon Justice B O Quadrin.

He said that the Court held that from the totality of all three considered arguments and authorities, the plaintiff Sir. Basil Maduka does not fall within the definition of an aspirant as he never participated in the process leading to the primary election nor took part in the primary election of the 1st Defendant; as such lack the locus standing to institute an action.

According to the ruling, the party-state chairman said that based on the court ruling, lacks the requisite jurisdiction to entertain and determine the suit, same being incomplete and after which, they dismissed the case.