Despite the judgement of a Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State, last Wednesday, which ruled against Mr Valentine Ozigbo, an aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had challenged the election of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as candidate of the party for the November 8 Guber Election in Anambra, Ozigbo has vowed to fight on, even as he described the judgement as shocking and unfair.
The court, presided over by Justice Evelyn Anyadike, held that Ozigbo was unable to prove conclusively that Ukachukwu was not eligible for the primary election which was held on April 5.
Ozigbo had petitioned the court to nullify Ukachukwu’s candidacy, arguing that the latter was not legitimately qualified to contest the party’s primary election.
But in her judgement on Wednesday, Anyadike held that while there were discrepancies worthy of concern in the documentation presented by Ukachukwu, the court lacked the jurisdiction to substitute one candidate for another.
‘The court cannot interfere in the internal matters of a political party where the plaintiff has not provided incontrovertible proof of the date of membership, nor shown that the party acted outside its constitutional powers,’ she said.
But Ozigbo, in his reaction, disputed the judgement which he described as unfair, while stating that he would not give up in his fight for justice.
Saying he would consult with his lawyers with a view to knowing his next steps, he said he did not fight the case for himself, but for the people of the state.
‘I fought to protect the soul of our democracy, and that fight is far from over,’ Ozigbo vowed.
His legal team had argued that Ukachukwu’s membership registration was altered retroactively to beat the eligibility deadline, while Ozigbo said it was not just about form-filling, but about principle and saying no to criminality. ‘Unfortunately, the court blinked,’ Ozigbo regretted.
It will be recalled that a number of high profile aspirants on the platform of APC had either left the party or pulled out from the race, following the hotly disputed and controversial primary of the party.
