A third contender to the Abia governorship has emerged, aggravating the current political crisis in the state.
Friday Nwosu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the state, has filed a lawsuit against the judgment of the Federal High Court which recently declared Sampson Ogah as governor-elect, removing Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu from office as governor of the state.
Mr Nwosu claimed that he is the only lawful candidate of the PDP and ought to be declared governor since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been disqualified and Sampson Ogah didn’t run for the party’s primary.
In his suit filed against Ogah at the Federal High Court in Owerri, Nwosu demands:
“An order setting aside the declaration of the 1st respondent, Uche Ogah, as the elected governor of Abia State as declared by the trial court, an order that the 1st respondent is stopped from claiming any right or benefit from the 2nd respondent’s (PDP) gubernatorial primary election of 8/12/2014 in Abia State having waived his right to do so.
“An order striking out the 1st respondent’s (Uche Ogah)’s suit on the ground that it constitutes an abuse of court process; an order that the suit of 1st respondent i.e. (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016) is incompetent and the trial court lacks the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit.
“The judgment is in error and cannot stand judicial scrutiny. Dr. Uche Ogah should not be allowed to benefit from an exercise he totally condemned by refusing to sign the result and petitioning the party to conduct another primary election. He should wait for the rerun of the PDP primary which he prayed for in his petition to the party.
“In the eyes of the law, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Sir Friday Nwosu were the only candidates who ran for the party primary. Since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been disqualified, I remain the lawful candidate of the PDP and ought to be declared governor.”