The court of appeal sitting in Owerri has stayed the execution of an earlier judgment ordering the conduct of fresh primaries by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency of Imo State, the area where Emeka Ihedioha, former governor hails from.
A federal high court had in January sacked Albert Agulanna, who emerged as the PDP candidate in the 2023 House of Representatives election, seeking to represent the constituency.
The lower court also ordered that a fresh primary be held in the federal constituency within the next 14 days.
However, following an appeal filed by Uzoma Ugochukwu, the appellate court has stopped the PDP from conducting the fresh primaries.
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The court in a judgement delivered by a 3-man panel led by Justice Rita Pemu, held that the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not conduct any fresh primaries pending the outcome of the appeal at the Supreme Court.
“Accordingly, it is hereby ordered as follows: That the Order of this Honourable court made on the 20th of January, 2023, ordering a fresh primary election for Aboh-Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala Federal Constituency of Imo State pending the hearing and final determination of the Applicants appeal before the Supreme Court on the Propriety of the said order of fresh primary be and is hereby stayed.
Consequently, by this Order the 1st and 2nd Respondents are hereby restrained from enforcing in anyway whatsoever the judgment of this Court delivered on 20th of January, 2023 by way of conducting a fresh primary election for the Aboh- Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala Federal Constituency,” the court declared.
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This development comes barely two weeks to the election of federal lawmakers scheduled for February 25.
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