Supreme Court verdict on Okigwe Senate seat: The battle is not yet over – Chief Emma Okewulonu

The verdict of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Friday, affirming Sir Frank Ibezim as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the senatorial bye-election for the Imo North senatorial district is not the end of the contest for the determination of the rightful occupant of the senatorial seat of the zone.

This is the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the December 5, 2020 poll, Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu, who waved the ruling aside as merely “the culmination of a legal battle purely between warring factions of the APC.”

Pointing out that he and the PDP are not party to the suit that was determined by the apex court, Chief Okewulonu made it clear that his and the PDP’s case seeking to declare him (Okewulonu) the rightful Senator for the zone “ instituted at the Election Tribunal is still alive and well, and will proceed without any let or hindrance.”

In a statement he personally endorsed, Chief Okewulonu said that nothing could be farther from the truth than the impression being “created that the long journey we embarked upon since the early part of 2020 has come to an unceremonious end.”

He also noted that the Supreme Court ruling affirming Sir Ibezim as the APC candidate “is purely on a pre-election matter, in which the APC, in its usual underhand pattern, was in actuality, still shopping for a candidate for an election that had long been consigned to the archives of history.”

He said further that the entire saga “is no doubt, a continuation of the recurring pattern of inconsistent and incomprehensible judicial decisions which we have all been witness to in recent times, particularly in Imo State,” stressing that “unfortunately, it has become glaringly obvious that there seems to be a concerted and orchestrated attempt at every turn, to deny Imo people of their mandates freely given to the candidates of their choice.”

Insisting that “practical instances abound” to justify his position that there seems to be attempts to subvert the will of the people as expressed through their votes, Chief Okewulonu urged all “ stakeholders and supporters, and indeed, the entire Imo North electorate, a.k.a. ndi Okigwe, to keep the faith, and not be disheartened or discouraged, because we are not giving up on the battle to affirm that we were the actual winners in that bye-election.”

He said further that they are “confident that in this case, we have the truth and the support of Okigwe people on our side. Justice will therefore, eventually be done, and victory will be ours.”

The PDP chieftain expressed his gratitude to his supporters for their unflinching “solidarity and support” and assured them “that no stone will be left unturned in our quest at the tribunal to affirm and consolidate our mandate,” stressing that “By God’s grace, WE SHALL PREVAIL, and Okigwe will be better.”

The Supreme Court had on Friday, April 16, 2021, set aside the disqualification of Sir Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the APC for the December 5, 2020 bye-election, noting that the suit which led to Ibezim’s disqualification for allegedly supplying false information to secure nomination was statute barred at the time it was instituted.

The Imo North Senatorial District seat became vacant following the death in office of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu of the APC.