Except there will be an out of court settlement or those involved in the ongoing court case opt to back out from going forward in the matter, the judiciary may play a role in who will be finally entitled to fly the ticket of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the 2019 Governorship election.
Trumpeta reports that series of court cases among APC members in Imo State hanging in the judiciary whose outcome are going to shape the party, will affect the identity of the governorship flagbearer.
Apart from two previous cases at the Appeal Court in Portharcourt and Federal High Court in Abuja centered on who is the real winner of the executive council congress of the party in the state, a fresh case has been instituted against the party and Oshimole over the recent primaries.
Indications are high that the court case would decide the person to be fielded as candidate.
Recall that on the October1st 2018, first day of primaries, the committee chairman rushed back to Abuja to announced Senator Hope Uzodinma winner while others he left behind claimed Nwosu thereby leaving the party chairman with no option that to cancel the two results described as fake ones.
But before a new committee purported to have been raised to organize a fresh governorship primaries could be in Owerri, the other contestants, six in number had endorsed Uzodinma on the grounds that he won the primaries. They also went further with a court case to insist on Oct 1st exercise.
The latest is the court cases challenging Oshiomoles suspension of Gulak governorship primary election committee, where some aggrieved members, Barr. Macdonald Ogu, Egejuru Tochukwu and Ejike Anosike had on October 4, 2018 in a suit no How/746/18, sued the All Progressives Congress and its Chairman, Cormrade Oshiomole joining the Chairman of the primary election committee, Alh. Ahmed Gulak, other members of the committee. In the same vein, governorship aspirants, Prince Eze Madumere, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Sir Jude Ejiogu, Commodore Peter Gbujie, Sir George Eche, Hon. Uche Nwosu, Chris Nlemoha, Dr. Hilary Eke, Hon. Dan nwafor and Chima Anozie are all respondents in the suit.
In their suit, the plaintiffs had dragged the defendants to court to seek among the following reliefs;
“A declaration that the result of the Governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Imo State chapter dated 2nd October 2018, which declared Senator Hope Uzodinma as the authentic and rightful winner of the Imo State Governorship primary election 2018 is authentic and same duly signed by the APC Imo Governorship primaries ad hoc Committee Chairman (3rd defendant) whose committee conducted the primaries;
A declaration by the honourable court that the purported television announcement and dissolution of the Ahmed Gulak led committee which conducted the Imo State APC governorship primaries 2018 by the 2nd defendant (Comrade Adams Oshiomole) in his capacity as the party’s National Chairman on behalf of the National executive Committee is illegal, undemocratic and same violates the constitution of All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The plaintiffs therefore prayed; “a definite ORDER of the court directing the Comrade Adams Oshiomole led National Executive Committee and all other relevant authorities of the APC to accept and recognize the Ahmed Gulak result dated 2nd October 2018 and same declared and correct result of the Imo State APC governorship primaries for Imo State 2018.”
They therefore prayed the court for; “an ORDER of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants (APC and its National Chairman) from re-constituting another committee and or taking any step or further step including the dissolution of the Ahmed Gulak committee, which will jeopardize the already concluded governorship primary of the APC in Imo State won by Senator Hope Uzodinma.”
The trio plaintiffs have also wondered why impunity should continue to rein in the State, wondering the recent purported primary, making it three in a series, showing the desperation of Governor Okorocha.
In the same vein, there is also a subsisting suit and motion on notice of interlocutory injunction filed by Senator Hope Uzodinma, a legal engagement that should have restrained any law abiding entity to act with restraint until the matter before the court is judiciously determined.
In view of the above, there are strong indications that the outcome of the court decision shall decide who wears the APC crown for the governorship race in 2019.
The development may have also forced to keep the name of the person his name was finally submitted secret to avoid incurring the wrath of the party.
