Civil Society Group, Imo Liberation Movement (ILM) has described as a travesty of justice the nullification of election of Jonas Okeke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ehime-Mbano/Ihitte-Uboma/Obowo Federal Constituency in Okigwe South of Imo State.
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The court ruled in favour of Chike Okafor of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Appeal Court sat on appeal over the election petition tribunal, which had earlier voided the election of Okeke.

Delivering judgment on the matter, a panel of the Justices comprising Abraham Georgewill, B. Aliyu and F. Ojo, declared that the appellant, Okeke, was not qualified to contest in the said election based on the primary election of the PDP held outside the constituency, which was clearly a pre-election matter.

The dismissal of Okeke’s appeal, according to ILM, in a statement signed by its Okigwe Zonal Coordinator, Chuks Obiodu, was a misnomer.

Obiodu said the learned justices, by the judgment, have thwarted the mandate of the people by departing from existing precedents established by superior court of record (the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal), which stated that sponsorship and nomination of a candidate by a political party is a pre-election matter and a domestic affair of the party, which cannot be adjudicated at a tribunal.

He lamented that the decision by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to transfer all election petition cases pending before the various divisions of the court to Abuja and Lagos to enable her have a closer and painstaking monitoring of the judges has been defeated.

“Fully aware that the tribunal serves as the final court in this matter, we therefore, call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, to direct the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dongban-Mensem, to  immediately set up a review panel to look into the judgment and circumstances that birthed this grave injustice by those entrusted with the power to deliver justice without fear or favour.”
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