Imo PDP Rejects Tribunal’s Judgment On Ugochinyere, Others

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The Imo State chapter, People’s Democrat­ic Party (PDP) in has rejected the judgment of the Election Petition Tribunal for National/State Assembly elections in the state.

In a statement on Wednesday by the Acting State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Emenike Nmeregini, the opposition party pointed out that the two of its members won their elections landslide in the 25th February National Assembly elections.

The Eastern Updates recalls that the tribunal sitting in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, nullified the elections of Ikenga Ugochinyere, and Jonas Okeke, members representing Idea­to North/South and Okigwe/ South federal constituencies in the House of Representatives.

The PDP described the ver­dicts as a setback, vowing to upturn them at the Court of Appeal.

Emenike stated: ‘It is with deep reservations and reprehen­sion that the lmo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party received the news of the nullifi­cation of elections of Ikenga lmo Ugochinyere lkeagwuonu (repre­senting Ideato-North and South), Jonas Okeke (Okigwe-South) re­spectively by the lmo State Elec­tion Petition Tribunal sitting in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

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‘The decision of the tribunal in these cases is highly condem­nable and regrettable.

‘The two proactive lawmak­ers won a landslide in the Feb­ruary 25, 2023, National Assem­bly election as members of the House of Representative, repre­senting their respective constit­uencies in the state.

‘As a responsible and respon­sive political party, the verdict of the tribunal smacks of huge sur­prise, considering the preponder­ance of potent evidence in facts and figures, tendered before it to justify results of the elections.

‘The eventual decisions of the Learned Justices will defi­nitely leave a sour taste in the mouth of the electorate in the constituencies.

‘It is unfortunate that with­out reference to hindsight, the honorable tribunal hinged their judgments on pre-election mat­ters that have earlier been dis­missed by courts of competent jurisdiction.

‘This also, is in disregard to the fact that the matter is pure­ly internal party affairs and as such, can only be raised by a member of lmo PDP and not non-PDP member.

‘The verdicts from all in­tents and purposes seem to be shrouded in barefaced illusion and mystery.

‘The lmo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party views the separate judgments as a set­back to our nation’s judiciary, and as well rejects in its totality these laughable exercises of crudity.

‘The party shall without equivocation stand against this position of the tribunal until it reverses this judgment that will continue to torment our legal jurisprudence.

‘We respect and have absolute confidence in the Judiciary and expect that it will do the needful to redeem the seemingly dimin­ishing image of the nation’s tem­ple of justice.’

‘While expecting the Appeal Court to do the needful in no dis­tance time, our party, therefore, calls on our aggrieved teeming members and electorate in ldeato North/South and Okigwe-South federal constituencies to remain calm as we expect that justice will take its normal course in the respective cases very soon.’

The Eastern Updates