Except the Leadership of All Progressive Congress, APC in Imo State, moves to avert the impeding danger about the flagbearer who will represent the interest of the party in the October 31st election for the Okigwe Senatorial zone, the party may not know the actual ticket bearer ahead the final poll.
Imo APC has been entangled with crisis concerning who won the primaries that is dogged in controversy now.
The latest News reaching Trumpeta Newspaper is that the party is at risk of not filling a candidate for October 31, 2020 election as it won’t know the flagbearer until a week to the contest based on what the court decided on the litigation now under adjournment.
Trumpeta learnt that if the parties involved do not expedite action, all interested bidders for the ticket under APC have to wait till October 21st, a week to the Oct 31st election date to know who wears the party’s crown.
A Federal High Court in Porthacourt, Rivers State approached by one of the aspirants while ruling on an injunction restraining the APC from submitting any other name other than that of Frank Ibezim to the INEC adjourned to October 21, 2020 when two others: Ifeanyi Araraume and Mathew Omegara asked to be joined in the case.
While adjourning further hearing to October 21, the court ordered all parties to maintain status quo. Status quo may indicate that no candidate shall be paraded pending the final outcome of the injunction which would be heard a week to the election proper.
Chief Matthew Omegara, a former member of the House of Representatives and immediate past aide to late Sen. Benjamin Uwajumogu has told a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital that Chief Frank Ibezim did not win the Imo North Senatorial primary election of the ruling All Progressives Congress held early this month.
In the affidavit presented by his counsel seeking to be joined in the case instituted by one of the aspirants, Omegara disclosed that he had come to be joined in the matter because Ibezim never won in the poll.
It would be recalled that Chief Frank Ibezim had alleged that he won the primary election conducted by the ruling party, APC to select a candidate for the Okigwe Senatorial Seat election billed for October 31 to fill the vacant post following the death of Sen. Benjamin Uwajumogu.
However, it later emerged that Chief Ibezim, alleged to be enjoying the backing of the Imo State Governor as well as that of the Minister of State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba had been disqualified by the screening committee set up by the party to interview the Aspirants on the grounds that he did not present valid certificates contained in the various forms he submitted.
It was alleged that though fully aware of his disqualification alongside other aspirants, Ibezim was said to have relied on the Appeal screening committee which also disqualified him based on the verifiable documentation of the screening committee.
But rather than abide by the outcome of the two committees, one of the aspirants ran to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt to seek an injunction restraining the APC from submitting any other name other than that of Ibezim to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Sen. Ifeanyi Araraume who was declared winner by another camp and who studiously went through the rigours of the screening committee and emerged clean, however filled an affidavit to be joined in the matter as an interested party.
The judge having heard from all the parties refused to grant the relief, but rather ordered that the status quo be maintained by both the APC and INEC pending the determination of the matter.
Omegara, who was also disqualified by the screening and Appeal Committee, also approached the court as a party to the case was also listed as one, while further hearing was adjourned to October 21, even as it ordered all parties to immediately serve all documents relating to the case to all the parties concerned and that all briefs should be consolidated before the next adjournment.
