Ararume declared winner of Imo north bye-election — despite opposition from APC

A federal high court in Abuja has declared Ifeanyi Ararume as the winner of the Imo north senatorial bye-election which held on December 5, 2020.

Taiwo Taiwo, the presiding judge, said on Thursday that Ararume is the authentic candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the election.

The judge then ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Ararume within 72 hours.

INEC had declared APC as the winner of the bye-election but refused to announce any person as the authentic candidate of the party on the grounds of conflicting court orders for and against the two major contenders, Ararume and Frank Ibezim.

WHAT ARE THE CONFLICTING ORDERS?

A court of appeal in Owerri had faulted the judgment of the federal high court in the state which had nullified the candidacy of Ibezim and favoured Ararume.

The Owerri court of appeal then sacked Araraume barely 24 hours to the election.

Also, a federal high court in Abuja disqualified Ibezim from contesting the bye-election for making false declarations in the documents he submitted to INEC. The court of appeal had also affirmed the judgment.

Ararume then approached Taiwo’s court for an order compelling INEC to issue him the certificate of return as the winner of the poll.

The senator had through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, prayed the court to invoke the judgments of the federal high court and appeal court which disqualified Ibezim.

Opposing the request, the APC submitted that it never fielded Ararume as its candidate.

But the judge dismissed all the objections raised by the defendants and affirmed Ararume’s election.