Court declares Sen Ararume winner of Imo North Senatorial District

….Gives INEC 72 hours to issue him Certificate of Return

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the winner of the December 5, 2020 bye-election for the Imo North Senatorial District of Imo state.
Ararume had dragged the INEC, APC and Chukwuma Francis Ibezim before the Federal High Court praying for an order to compel the electoral body to recognize him as an APC senatorial candidate in the election won by the party.
Delivering the judgement, the court held that Ararume remains the authentic candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as at today and should be declared winner of that election.
The Judge also ordered the INEC to issue Certificate of Return to Senator Ararume within 72 hours from the delivery of the judgment.
Arguing before the court, Sen. Ararume prayed it to invoke the judgement of a federal high court and that of Appeal Court to disqualify Ibezim and declare him as the rightful candidate for APC. .
Counsel to the plaintiff, Ahmed Raji (SAN) submitted that the judgments of the high court and later the Court of Appeal have conclusively disqualified Ibezim and cannot claim to be an aspirant or candidate in the Imo North Senatorial election.
Responding, APC opposed the suit, argued that it never fielded Ararume for the last year December senatorial bye-election for Imo North Senatorial district of Imo state.
The party maintained that Ararume lacked locus standi to lay claim to the candidacy and urged the court to dismiss his suit.
However, Ararume claimed that Ibezim, having been disqualified by a Federal High Court on account of supplying false information to INEC to secure clearance.
He further submitted that the same disqualification been upheld by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
However, the party, through its counsel, Osho Daudu asked the court to discountenance Ararume’s claims insisting that his name was never forwarded to INEC but that of Chukwuma Francis Ibezim.
The counsel submitted that a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Owerri, Imo State which erroneously conferred locus on Ararume had been voided by Supreme Court and cannot confer any advantage on the plaintiff.
In his own submissions, counsel to Ibezim. Emma Osayomi, said that his client has approached the Supreme Court to challenge his disqualification on account of variation in his name.
He told Justice Taiwo, that as at the election day, the name of his client was on the INEC list and not that of Ararume.
Consequently, he prayed the court to discountenance Ararume’s submissions and hold that Chukwuemeka Francis remains the APC candidate.out of public funds of the state.
Masako said that the lawmakers could not fold their hands and allow public funds to be spent without following due process as the monies were not approved in the 2020 budget or in a supplementary budget. (NAN)