The Imo State Election Petitions Appeal Court sitting in Lagos, has affirmed Emeka Martins Chinedu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the House of Representatives election for Ahiazu/Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency, Imo State.

The venue of the PDP primaries in the state was valid.

The Appeal Court Justices led by Justice Georgewill endorsed the findings of lower tribunal and struck out the appeals brought by Nnanna Igbokwe of the All Progressive Congress (APC), and the Labour Party candidate, Darlington Amaechi due to lack in merit.

The decision settled the issue of the venue of PDP Primaries, a pre-election issue that was previously deemed beyond the jurisdiction of the Appeal Court. The APC and the LP had challenged the election of Chinedu Emeka from Imo State based on these issues.

Remember that the tribunal for National and State Assembly for Imo State on 7^th September, 2023 had declared Emeka Chinedu the rightful winner of the election for Ahiazu/Ezinifite/Mbaise Federal Constituency Seat.

It also determined that other political parties lacked the authority or locus standi to interfere in the internal affairs of their opposing party and that the issues of venue of primaries were purely pre-election issues which the tribunal lacks the powers and jurisdiction to dabble into.

Most arguments on previous Supreme Court judgements on PDP Primaries were found to be irrelevant to the respondent’s eligibility.

The Supreme Court had earlier upheld the validity of Emeka’s primary election and no other judgments could influence his legitimacy, especially now that the issues are considered pre-election matters beyond the Tribunal’s jurisdiction.

The matter of the PDP Primaries’ venue had been exhaustively examined by the High Court, Appeal Court, and Supreme Court, all of which consistently upheld Emeka Chinedu’s emergence as the party’s legitimate candidate.

APC’s Nnanna Igbokwe was consistently rejected as an “interloper” attempting to meddle in the PDP’s internal affairs.

Chinedu Emeka’s counterpart, Ikeagwuonu Onyinye Ugochinyere (Ikenga), representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State, also had his PDP primary elections at the same venue.

The Federal High Court, Appeal and Supreme Courts also in a unanimous judgment affirmed Ugochinyere’s primary emergence and declared him eligible to contest the election, hence making any challenge against his emergence on the issue of pre-election venue of primary baseless.

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Surprisingly, the first tribunal gave a conflicting judgment, which voided Ugochinyere’s election in a petition by a candidate, who came 3rd, got only 2000 votes, and got only one polling unit out of 346 polling unit.

The candidate who had challenged Ugochinyere’s venue of primary at the Federal High Court and lost, including his LP counterpart, whose court case against Ugochinyere’s election was also dismissed.
Reacting, the Centre for Judicial Integrity Watch hailed the Appeal Court judgment as a victory for democracy because the venue of PDP primaries and sponsorship were clear issues that Tribunal lacks jurisdiction to entertain.