By Onyekachi Eze
Hope has heightened for Candidates elected under the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2023 elections in Imo State, following the withdrawal of Case file by factional Chairman of the Party, Dan Nwafor.
Before Nwafor’s withdrawal of the case, one could easily describe it as a bone which hung deep inside the oesophagus of the Imo APC Candidates.
The long lasted case between the Dan Nwafor led caretaker committee and the MacDonald Ebere Exco has finally been rested after the Supreme Court’s verdict earlier this year.
Recall that Nwafor Exco were elected at the finishing hours of the then Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.
After Okorocha’s tenure elapsed, Marcon Nlemigbo was enthroned under Acting capacity by Governor Hope Uzodinma.
It was then that Nwafor approached the Court to challenge the authenticity of Nlemigbo, which later extended to the incumbent Leadership under MacDonald Ebere.
The case lingered until this year when the Apex Court confirmed Nwafor’s stand as the legitimate Chairman.
That opened fresh fears among the candidates who won the Imo APC primary elections, considering the implications therein in the judgement.
Few weeks after the commencement of campaigns, Nwafor officially quit from the race.
In a letter dated 18/10/22, addressed to Chief Chris Uche (SAN), with the caption,
“NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF MY SUIT NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/1048/2022”, signed by Daniel Nwafor, he withdrew the case.
Part of the letter reads,
“I write to formally inform you that in the interest of peace, after having deliberated with members of my party Executives and having analyzed a lot of issues arising, I have decided to withdraw this above mentioned suit in line with our resolution and I wish that it be complied with accordingly.
“I appreciate all your efforts and assistance in this suit. Please kindly implement this our decision immediately. Thanks in anticipation”.
The said withdrawal letter was also copied to the Registrar Federal High Court (Court 5) Abuja.
Against this backdrop, all tension brewing among the Candidates as orchestrated by the pending case so withdrawn has been doused.
When contacted, Nwafor didn’t deny having notice of the withdrawal letter, as he told our correspondent through a Whatsapp Message that the withdrawal process is ongoing.
“The withdrawal process is ongoing. The letter is from me”, he acknowledged.
Meanwhile, indication is rife that money may have exchanged hands for him to have chickened out the way he did after following the case from lower to the highest court in the land.
