Outrage and shock yesterday greeted the decision by the Imo State National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that unseated Mr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere representing Ideato federal constituency.

The tribunal, which upheld the Petition of Chika Abazu of the APC on the ground that the primary election of the PDP, which produced Ugochinyere as candidate, was invalid, ordered a supplementary election in 55 polling units among the remaining candidates.

Ugochinyere chairs the House Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream.

However, hundreds of Ugochinyere supporters maintained that the judgement clearly amounted to the Tribunal upturning and setting aside the judgement of the Supreme Court, the Tribunal

Recall that INEC had declared Ugochinyere the winner of the election with over 13, 000 votes, while Paschal Obi of the Labour Party and Chika Abazu of the APC finished second and third, respectively, with about 5000 votes and 2000 votes.

Counsel to Ugochinyere Emeka Ozoani SAN, described the decision as shocking and unbelievable, adding ” I do not have any comments”.

However, when news of the judgment hit Ideato, youths erupted in instant protests, making bonfires and blocking roads with tree logs and leaves insisting that Ikenga was their choice and that must be respected by the Courts.

One of the protesters Collins Obioha maintained that Ugochinyere would surely emerged triumphant ultimately.

He said, “the Court of Appeal just last week in the Presidential election judgment in the Peter Obi case declared that the issue of nomination of candidate is a pre-election matter and no election petition court has jurisdiction over such issues.

” Did the Tribunal not hear that judgment? How come this Tribunal has not only refused to follow the judgment, it sat on appeal over it and overruled it”.

In its judgment in SC/CV/501/2023 which was cited for the Tribunal, the Supreme Court held that “A political party that files a suit to challenge the nomination of the candidate of another party will be a nosy busybody, a meddlesome interloper, peeping into the affairs of his neighbour without any backing in law. No court of law can entertain such a Suit”.