Hopes dashed as Supreme Court delivers judgment on Imo senatorial election

Hopes dashed as Supreme Court delivers judgment on Imo senatorial election

- The Nigerian Supreme court has concluded hearing on the suit regarding the Imo North senatorial district bye-election

- The apex court disclosed why it ruled in favour of Frank Ibezim

Following the ruling Ibezim will now be inaugurated as a senator

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Ifeanyi Araraume has suffered a huge loss after the Supreme Court declared Frank Ibezim of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the senator-elect for the Imo North senatorial district bye-election.

According to The Sun, the apex court in a ruling on Friday, April Friday 16, set aside the concurrent judgments of the Federal high court in Abuja and that of the Court of Appeal which nullified the candidacy of Ibezim on the ground of perjury.

Breaking: Supreme Court delivers verdicts on Imo election
Ibezim had been kicked out as APC candidate on account of irreconcilable differences in the names on the certificates. Photo: @ValiantNig
Source: Twitter

The Supreme Court noted that the suit which led to the disqualification of Ibezim for allegedly supplying false information to secure nomination was statute-barred at the time it was instituted because it was not filed within 14 days when the cause of action arose.

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According to The Nation, Justice Emmanuel Agim who delivered the judgment subsequently declared Ibezim as the candidate of the APC in the December 5, 2020 by-election and also as the winner of the election.

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The determination by the apex court has dashed the Senatorial ambition of Ifeanyi Araraume whose candidacy was had been upheld by both the Federal high court and that of the Court of Appeal.

With the ruling of the Supreme Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC will now proceed to formally declare the winner of the election and issue Ibezim certificate of return as required by law.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom has described the state chapter of the APC as a party whose level of ignorance is pathetic.

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The party further stated that the APC is forever tied to perennial internal politics of self-destructive hostility amongst its chieftains and stakeholders.

In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Friday, April 16 by its spokesman, Mr. Borono Bassey, the PDP said it watched with unfettered amusement how members of the APC wail about the impending exodus of their members to another party.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Kess Ewubare avatar

Kess Ewubare Kess Ewubare is a former senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He has a diploma in-law in addition to a BSc and a master’s degree in mass communication. Kess is a journalist with over 10 years of working experience in several fields of journalism ranging from radio presenting, television news reporting, newspaper reporter, feature and magazine writing as well as online and multi-media journalism.

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