Court sacks minister-designate from House of Reps

The appeal court sitting in Abuja Wednesday sacked Emeka Nwajiuba, a lawmaker representing Ehime Mbano /Obowo/Ihitte Uboma Federal Constituency of Imo State.

The court declared Chike Okafor as the winner of the House of Representatives seat.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Honourable Okafor of the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner and issued him with Certificate of Return, for Ehime Mbano/Obowo/Ihitte Uboma Federal Constituency.

An FCT High Court nullified the result of the election and declared Nwajiuba, a former member of the Accord Party winner of the election.

Nwajiuba was among some of the 43-man ministerial nominees screened by the Nigerian Senate.

Barely 24 hours after he was announced as a ministerial nominee by Nigeria president President Muhammadu Buhari Nwajiuba defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Accord Party (AP).

Nwajiuba was a member of APC before he defected to AP because of a spat with the former governor of Imo, Rochas Okorocha. He was the secretary of the Constitution Drafting Committee that was worked on the document that guided the formation of the APC.

He ‎was first elected a member of the House in 1999 till 2003.