A Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the participation by Uche Nwosu in the last general election in Imo State as a governorship candidate.
Nwosu, who is married to a daughter to the immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, was also the Chief of Staff during Okorocha’s administration.
In a judgment on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo held among others, that having been nominated by the Action Alliance (AA) while his earlier nomination by the All Progressives Congress (APC) still subsisted, Nwosu engaged in multiple nomination in violation of the provision of Section 37 of the Electoral Act.
Justice Ekwo observed that Nwosu participated in the APC’s primary held on October 6, 2018 and was nominated as its governorship candidate. But that, while still holding on to the APC ticket, he went before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and obtained an order made in is favour by Justice Valentine Ashi (now late), which upheld is claim to being APC’s candidate.
The judge noted that while the order by Justice Ashi was still pending, Nwosu was also offered the ticket of the AA, which he accepted.
Justice Ekwo declared that Nwosu, “has not been validly nominated by the 3rd defendant (AA) as its governorship candidate for the Imo State governorship election having been made at the pendency of the order of Justice Valentine Ashi of the Abuja High Court recognising the 2nd defendant as the candidate of the APC for the Imo State 2019 governorship election.”
The judge equally declared that Nwosu’s nomination by AA as its governorship candidate, was invalid, null and void, having been made at the pendency of a similar nomination of the 2nd defendant (Nwosu) by the APC for the same position”.
The judge noted that Nwosu affirmed to be the APC’s governorship candidate in his statement on oath sworn before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
He ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the name of Uche Nwosu as a governorship candidate in the last election held in Imo State.
The judgement was on a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/235/2019 filed on February 27, 2019 by the Action People’s Party (APP) and its Deputy National Chairman, Uche Nnadi, in which they argued, among others, that Nwosu was not a valid candidate in the election on grounds of multiplicity of nominations by both the APC and AA.
