Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue him with a Certificate of Return as the senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/296/2019, Okorocha submitted that INEC lacked the statutory powers to withhold his Certificate of Return as he was validly elected to the senatorial seat.
He prayed the court to declare that INEC acted in error when it refused to recognise him, even after the returning officer had declared him the winner.
In Okoracha’s suit filed through his team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, INEC was cited as the sole defendant.
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Vanguard Newspapers reported that the judge, Taiwo Taiwo, has fixed April 5 for commencement of hearing on the matter.
Taiwo granted the prayers of an application that was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate, Jones Onyeriri and that of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Osita Izunaso.
Messrs Onyeriri and Izunaso who were joined as interested parties in the matter and were subsequently listed as 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.
Recall that Okorocha was declared the winner of the Imo West senatorial election. However, few hours after the declaration, the presiding officer, Francis Ibeawuchi said he was forced to make the declaration under duress.
It is based on that that the electoral commission removed Okorocha’s name from the elected senators’ list and said it is reviewing the situation in the district.
