The Imo State governorship and House of Assembly Petitions Tribunal has granted the application filed by the Counsel to the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Okey Amechi for substituted service on the governor-elect, Emeka Ihedioha and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The development came as a Federal Court sitting in Owerri dismissed a suit filed by Senator Sam Anyanwu, challenging the emergence of Imo State Governor-elect, Rt. Emeka Ihedioha as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
While granting AA leave for substituted service, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice M.O Adewara, ruled that the 2nd and 3rd respondents be served on the wall of their buildings or by delivering same to an agent at the PDP office situated at No 98 Okigwe Road,Owerri.
The AA governorship candidate, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, had petitioned the Election Tribunal to quash the March 9 governorship election which was won by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ihedioha.
Nwosu had prayed the Tribunal to among other things “determine and thus declare that Ihedioha did not satisfy the requirement of Section 179(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) having failed to poll not less than one-quarter of all the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the Local Government Areas in Imo State at the governorship election held on 9th March, 2019.
While dismissing Anyanwu’s petition to nullify Ihedioha’s victory, Justice Tijani Ringim, said the plaintiff did not convince the court on the prayers he sought. He said from the allegations of Senator Anyanwu, the Court could not establish the fact in his claims and therefore dismissed the suit for lack of proof.
Ihedioha had defeated Anyanwu during the primary election conducted in Owerri on the 1st October 1, by garnering 1723 votes to Anyanwu’s 1282 votes.
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