The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has declared Mr Valentine Ozigbo as the validly elected governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
In the unanimous judgement delivered by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the appellate court, held that the primary election held at the professor Dora Akunyuli Women Center, Awka, which produced Ozigbo as a PDP candidate, was conducted in line with the law and the PDP guidelines.
The court, in a unanimous judgement, set aside the decision of Justice A. O. Nwabunike of a High Court of Anambra State which had earlier declared Senator Ugochukwu Uba as PDP’s candidate.
While declaring as an aberration the parallel primary held at Saint Paul University, it berated Justice Nwabunike for sitting as an appellate court over the judgment of Justice Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The Appeal Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the names of Ozigbo and his running mate as duly nominated and elected candidates for the PDP for the purpose of the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
Having set aside the judgement of the lower court, the appellate court awarded a cost of N10 million in favour of the appellant against the respondent.
Justice Dongban-Mensem, while urging INEC not to allow itself to be distracted in preparation for the election, advised the commission to wait for the decision of the final court in the land and not hurriedly rushed to comply with the judgment of the trial court.
The panel took turn to take swipes on lawyers who enable litigants to abuse the court’s processes, stressing that relevant bodies like the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) must take decisive actions against culprits.
Justice Dongban-Mensem said the decision of Justice Nwabunike, “is strange in law. We hereby affirm that Valentine Ozigbo is the duly elected candidate for the appellant (PDP) for the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election slated for November 6, 2021.”
Speaking after the judgment, Ozigbo’s counsel, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), commended the panel for the judgment and joined the President of the Court of Appeal in condemning what he called “Forum shopping” by litigants, who are encouraged by lawyers.
“The judgment is a victory to the PDP in Anambra State,” he said.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state… JUST IN: Appeal Court declares Valentine Ozigbo PDP candidate for Anambra guber election
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report… JUST IN: Appeal Court declares Valentine Ozigbo PDP candidate for Anambra guber election
[ICYMI] Lekki Shootings: Why We Lied About Our Presence — General Taiwo
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the killings at Lekki Toll Gate, on Saturday resumed viewing of the 24hrs footage of the October 20, 2020 shooting of #EndSARS protesters by personnel of the Nigerian Army…
and then