A decision of the Appeal Court has spawned confusion in the Labour Party in Imo Stated and its now uncertain who the party’s flagbearer for the November governorship election is.
The Appeal court, sitting in Owerri on Friday, rejected the application of Senator Athan Achonu, who had sought to join a matter, in which the Bayela Federal High Court last month affirmed Ikechukwu Ukaegbu as the authentic Imo LP governorship candidate.
According to the Appeal Court, Senator Achonu failed to file his application to be joined in the matter, within the 14 day window prescribed by law.
Today’s judgement triggered tanctrum between the Achonu and Ukaegbu camps.
While the Ukaegbu, group said: “The Athan supporters had earlier said that the Bayelsa judgement was not true and now they want to join in the matter ? So, they want to deceive members of the public, however, we cant be intimidated in asking for what rightly belongs to us. It is our mandate and we are lawfully pursuing it.”
Replying the Senator Achonu’s supporters, said: “The matter is not over. There was never a time the Bayelsa court sacked Achonu, the case was between Basil Maduka and Ukaegbu that is simple. However, the appeals are still pending.”
In any case, it appears that the dispute is headed for the Supreme Court, with less than four months to the Imo governorship election, in which the incumbent, Hope Uzodinma of the ruling All Progressives Congress is seeking a difficult re-election.
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