Ebonyi: Court Strikes Out Chukwu’s Suit Against Umahi

The former Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has lost in his suit challenging the declaration of Dave Umahi as the governor of Eboyi State as the Federal High Court sitting in

Abakaliki, Ebonyi State on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, struck-out the suit.

Chukwu, one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in the state in the No
vember 8, 2014 primary election had gone to court challenging the legality of the PDP Congress that produced

Umahi as the candidate of the party in the last general election.

In a two-hour judgment delivered by the Presiding Judge, Maureen Oyetenu, the court ruled that though Chukwu has the right to question the primary election as an aspirant, he ought to have participated in the exercise as stipulated by law and therefore struck out the suit.

Justice Oyetenu differed with the counsel to Umahi, Chief Offordile Okafor (SAN), who had argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to question the congress conducted by the party and ruled that where due process was not followed in the congress the court has the right to contest such exercise.

She faulted the November 1st congress that produced the delegates for the November 8 Governorship primary.

Counsel to Umahi, Offordile Okafor, commended the court for the judgment which he described as victory for democracy. He blamed Chukwu for questioning the primary when he did not participate in he exercise that held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.

In his comment, counsel to the plaintiff, Nnaemeka Ajiukwu, who stood in for Chief Awa Kalu (SAN), said that he would pursue the matter to the logical conclusion, adding that there were two more stages to cross aside the

federal high court judgment and urged the court to make available a copy of the judgment for necessary action.