The Labour Party internal crisis bothering on the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the party has been heightened as Appeal Court sitting in Owerri quashed the application filled before it by the INEC shortlisted guber candidate of Labour Party, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu.
Achonu filled an application before the Appeal Court in Owerri seeking for Leave for him to appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court in Bayelsa State which was held on 23r June, 2023.
Delivering the ruling, the presiding judge, Honourable Justice JH Sankey, said the Court struck out Achonu’s application on ground of incompetence, stating that the application came 14 days after within which the law allows him to make such application which came 19 days after. Other Judges who sat in the mater are SA Bola and ML Abubakar who added that Achonu cannot seek Leave of Court to join in matter by Sir Basil Maduka and the Labour Party outside the 14 days.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the ruling, lawyer to Ikechukwu Ukaegbu (Ikenga), Barr. Greg Anyanwu, said the ruling was in order as Athan Achonu is not the authentic gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party in Imo State.
“By extension, the Court also held that the Notice of Appeal already filled by Athan Achonu as served without first seeking and obtaining a Leave from the Court is Null and Void. That is to say that Achonu has no appeal subsisting before the Court of Appeal against the Federal High Court Owerri.
“Athan Achonu has never been the candidate of Labour Party in Imo State. Before the law today, Ikechukwu Ukaegbu is who LP defended in Court. Where was INEC which is a party to that suit. INEC did not come to tell the Court that it has a name – Athan Achonu – LP issued a letter to INEC that Ikechukwu Ukaegbu is its candidate. It is possible for somebody to connive with INEC to submit Achonu’s name which has been omitted”, Anyanwu said.
“By fulfilling that condition, LP has republished its true candidate – Ikechukwu Ukaegbu – what that means is that if anybody is thinking that Athan Achonu is candidate of LP is dreaming as far as LP has called INEC to order. If the party had failed to do that less than 90 days to the election – Achonu can be said to be the candidate – but LP notified it to show that it is at alert and having done that the candidate remains the person the party says is its candidate”, Anyanwu added.
Expressing satisfaction over the quick ruling, the LP factional Chairman in Imo State, Ikechukwu Cyril Akujobi, described the court as hope of common persons, even as he called on all aggrieved members of LP to bury their grievances and work in unity so that the party wins the governorship election in November 11 2023.
