By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed Ifeanyi Uba of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) as the duly elected Senator to represent Anambra South Senatorial district at the National Assembly.
In the same vein, the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State, also on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by Ndutimi Alaibe which challenged the emergence of Douye Diri as the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election in Bayelsa.
Alaibe, who was also a PDP governorship aspirant in 2019, instituted a suit against the party, Diri and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Federal High Court in Owerri and lost.
The High Court judge Tijjani Ringim, on March 10, dismissed Alaibe’s suit for lacking merit.
According to him, “Evidence available to me indicates that the process leading to the emergence of Diri as the candidate of the PDP in the September 3 governorship primaries in Bayelsa was legitimate.”
Not satisfied with the ruling, Alaibe proceeded to the Court of Appeal.
On Tuesday, the appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court, and dismissed Alaibe’s suit for lacking merit.
It would be recalled that Diri was on February 13, pronounced as Bayelsa State governor after the Supreme Court sacked David Lyon less than 24 hours before his inauguration as governor of the state.
The apex court faulted Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, his running mate, for submitting forged credentials with multiple names to INEC.
In Abuja, the apex court in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeals brought by Chief Chris Uba and Dr Obinna Uzor, challenging the election of Ifeanyi Ubah.
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta who led four other Supreme Court Justices held that the FCT High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction to determine a matter that arose from primary election conducted in Anambra.
According to Ngwuta, the cause of action emanated from Anambra and not the FCT.
It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal Abuja Division in March 2020, set aside FCT High Court judgment which ordered the removal of Ifeanyi Ubah from office as senator representing Anambra South Senatorial district.
Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, Chris Uba and Obinna Uzor approached the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment.
Chris Uba and Obinna Uzoh through their counsel Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN and Chino Obiagwu, SAN respectively had urged the Supreme Court to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which had voided the judgment of Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court.
They urged the apex court to allow their appeals on the grounds that the FCT High Court has territorial jurisdiction over pre-election matters among other issues raised in the appeal.
However, Counsel to Senator Ubah, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, urged the court to dismiss the appeals on the grounds that FCT High Court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to entertain a cause of action that emanated from Anambra.
In his reaction, Ubah dedicated the judgment to God and assured that the development would enable him to settle down and be better focused on delivering his electoral promises to his constituents.
