The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, has affirmed the judgment of
the Justice Kwajafa-led National Election Petition Tribunal for Imo
north, which upheld the election of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 22 and 28 2016, Okigwe
Senate rerun elections. The five-man Appeal Court panel dismissed all the 7 grounds of appeal
sought by the petitioner, who challenged the earlier judgment of the
tribunal.
In its ruling on Thursday, the Justice Aboki-led appeal panel,
unanimously declared that, all grands of appeal against the election and
return of Senator Uwajumogu as Senator representing Imo north, lacked
merit. According to the ruling, “it is in bad fate for the petitioner to say
that supplementary elections in 22 polling units were void by the
reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the electoral act, when
all the parties involved in the election, including the petitioner, did
not complain before the conduct of the supplementary elections.
“The petitioner was inconsistent. You cannot ask the court to grant
relief on unsubstantiated matters as the court does not rely on hearsay
to dispense justice.” “You cannot blow hot and cold at the same time. The petition failed in its entirety and it is hereby dismissed”, the Judge said. In his reaction, Senator Uwajumogu described the judgment as the
total reaffirmation of the mandate given to him by the people of Okigwe
zone during the last concluded Imo north senatorial re-run election.
While calling for true reconciliation to move the zone forward, he
thanked the people of Imo North for their continued support and prayers
to him throughout the legal tussle and pledged his total commitment to
superlative legislative performance.
Source: Daily Post
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