The Supreme Court on Friday ,affirmed Okezie Ikpeazu
as the Governor of Abia State.
The case was filed by Uche Ogah who had accused Ikpeazu of
allegedly submitting false tax information to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ikpeazu defeated Ogah in the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP,
primaries ahead of the 2015 gubernatorial election in the state.
Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja had on
June 27, 2016 sacked Ikpeazu from office as governor of Abia State, after the
court found him guilty of tax offences.
Abang ordered Ikpeazu to vacate office for Ogah, who challenged
Ikpeazu’s eligibility to contest the 2015 governorship election as the flag
bearer of the PDP.
Subsequently, Ogah approached the Supreme Court where he
prayed that the High Court judgement should be upheld.
In a judgement by the apex court, it faulted the judgement
of the High Court, even as it awarded the sum of N250,000 against Ogah.
Two out of the three-man panel of the Supreme Court struck
out the appeal, thereby affirming the judgment of the appeal court.
Mr Oga’s appeal was dismissed for lacking merit.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria described the case as a storm
in a teacup, which shouldn’t have been entertained in the first case.
He warned politicians against trying to influence the
judiciary, saying there was a security breach which will be investigated by the
court.
He wondered why some politicians would attempt to bribe
court employees to know who is writing the judgment or what the judgment is.
Meanwhile, in a reaction, Governor Ikpeazu, has dedicated
his victory to the people of Abia state, who he said stood by him all through
the period of litigations.
Source:dailypost.ng
