Court restrains Abia APC from acknowledging winners of ward congresses

An Abia State High Court in Ukwa Judicial Division has restrained the All Progressives Congress (APC) from acknowledging the purported list of successful candidates in last Saturday’s APC ward congresses in the state.

This followed application of the suit marked: HUK/31M/2021 brought before the court presided over by Justice C. H. Ahuchaogu by Davies Jumbo on behalf of himself and all ward chairmanship candidates and John Nnah for himself and the successful council and state delegates of APC as applicants.

They urged the court to restrain the defendants from receiving and acting on the purported list of successful candidates in the ward congresses.

Two parallel APC ward congresses were held last Saturday by the Donatus Nwankpa-led Caretaker Committee and another faction led by Enyi Harbour, whose faction purportedly operates from outside the Azikwe Road State Secretariat in Umuahia.

The suit has APC, Mai Mala Buni, the Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, Sunny Goli, Mukter Bajeh, Moses Anaughe, Olowole West, Omugo Agala, Fola Vincent, and Victor Chukwudi as defendants and respondents.

Others are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Donatus Nwankpa, and Perfect Okorie as Chairman and Secretary of the Caretaker Committee.

The court stated that the order of interim injunction it granted restrained the defendants and respondents by themselves, agents, servants, and privies pending the hearing and determination of the ex parte motion on notice pursuant to order 3, rule 4 of the Abia State High Court civil rules.

Addressing journalists in Umuahia, yesterday, Nwankpa expressed optimism that the leadership of APC would address the matter, stressing that the conduct of the Saturday ward congresses in which his group participated was done transparently in accordance with the APC constitution and guidelines.

Meanwhile, it was disclosed that the APC Ward 4 in Arochukwu Council has suspended Enyi from the party due to anti-party activities and impersonation as state chairman of APC, even as he was not duly elected.