Abia APC crisis: Nwamkpa-led faction vows to appeal court ruling

Donatus Nwamkpa, factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Abia has vowed to appeal an Abuja High Court judgement affirming Chief Ikechi Emenike as the party’s governorship candidate.
Nwamkpa also stated that no amount of intimidation, blackmail or sabotage would undermine the prospect of Uche Ogah emerging as the state governor in the March election.
Nwamkpa spoke to journalists on Thursday in Umuahia while the latest Court ruling affirmed Emenike as the authentic standard bearer.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that two governorship candidates had emerged from parallel primaries of APC in Abia, with Emenike emerging from the Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe-led state executives, while Ogah emerged from the faction led by Nwankpa.
NAN also reports that on November 29, 2018, an Abuja High Court in its ruling on suit No. FCT/HC/CV/3097/18 voided the candidacy of Ogah, proclaiming that Emenike was the validly nominated governorship candidate of the APC.
Ogah, however, went to the court and applied for stay of execution of the order voiding his candidacy, to enable him stand for the forthcoming governorship poll.
In his ruling on Thursday, FCT High Court, Kubwa, presided over by Justice Kessiah Ogbonnaya dismissed the application for stay of execution, affirming that Emenike remained the authentic APC governorship standard bearer.
Meanwhile Nwankpa in his reaction to the court ruling told journalists that his faction had appealed the ruling.
He maintained that there had been conflicting court ruling on the issue of the party’s governorship candidate.
He said: “As far as I am concerned, Section 127 of the Constitution has taken care of this matter.
“What we have is two conflicting court orders. In the two orders, which one supersedes the other? The one that supersedes the other is that the status quo ante remains. There is no course for alarm.
“Our appeal took place two days ago in Owerri. People have been evading services and we don’t want to behave like them by getting our judgement without their being duly served.
“In the matter of first instance originating summon, you must serve the individual in person. That is why it is only one person that is remaining for us to complete our service.”
Counsel to Emenike, Somadila Uzodinma, told journalists in Umuahia that the court ruling has put to rest any doubt on the true governorship candidate of the APC in Abia.
According to him, Emenike shall definitely fly the flag of Abia APC in the forthcoming governorship election.
Emenike, in his reaction, said that the court ruling had vindicated his position that impunity would never stand in the face of rule of law and justice.