An atmosphere of imprecision and confusion hang over the fate of two candidates laying claim to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the Imo State North senatorial by-election which took place Saturday(today).
Both contenders for the senatorial seat in the by-election, (senator Ifeanyi Ararume and Chief Frank Ibezim) proceeded to cast their votes during the election with both laying claim to been the authentic candidate of the APC in today’s by-election .
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Recall that there has been ambiguity and uncertainty over who is the validly nominated candidate and the flagbearer of the APC in the Senatorial by-election. This development arose following multiple court rulings disqualifying both candidates in separate judgements in Imo and Abuja, respectively.
Curiously, both judgements were delivered on Friday, with just few hours to the election, a development which might have fueled the anxiety in both the political camps of Ibezim and Ararume.
The road to the multiple judgements was equally cloudy. Recall that there was a judgement arising from an appeal court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital which disqualified senator Ararume as the candidate for the All Progressives Congress(APC). This ruling had also pronounced Chief Frank Ibezim as the valid candidate of the APC in the by-election.
In its judgment, the five-man panel held that the November 6 judgment of the Federal High Court in Owerri which pointedly declared Senator Ararume as the authentic candidate of the APC had no jurisdiction under the law to adjudicate on the subject matter. With that clear and unambiguous judgement, many thought Senator Ararume’s failed was sealed.
However, a Federal High Court in Abuja in a judgment on Friday blocked Chief Frank Ibezim from parading himself as the candidate of the APC in the Imo north senatorial by-election.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who gave the judgement said Chief Ibezim was not qualified to contest in the election on the premise that he made false declarations in his sworn affidavit and related documents which he submitted to the APC and INEC, respectively.
Not- withstanding these multiple cases and judgements, both Chief Ibezim and Senator Ararume proceeded to cast their votes with both claiming to be the APC candidate in the by-election which took place today.
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