Withdrawal of judge stalls hearing of Abia governor’s appeal in Supreme Court

The hearing of appeals against the nomination of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 election was on Wednesday at the Supreme Court stalled.
The withdrawal of Justice Amina Augie from the seven-man panel was responsible for the development.
The apex court was billed to entertain the appeals filed by Uche Oga and Friday Nwosu challenging the nomination of Ikpeazu as the party’s governorship candidate.
At the resumption of proceedings, Augie had informed the court that she wished to be isolated from sitting on the appeals.
She hinged it on the fact that she was among the panel that decided on the appeals at the Court of Appeal in Owerri.
A petition had been filed against Augie, who they accused had purportedly selected four justices of Abia State extractions to sit on the appeals against the governor in Owerri.
The petitioners, who were also the appellants in these appeals, had also accused her to have influenced the proceeding in favour of the governor.
The inability of the counsel to the parties to diligently exchange processes was also part of the sundry challenge that stalled the proceedings.
Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who presided, therefore, adjourned the matter.
Rhodes-Vivour, however, that the new date would be communicated to parties.
Rhodes-Vivour said: “The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, shall approve of the date for this case shortly.”
The other parties in the matter are the Independent National Electoral Commission and the PDP.