Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Friday, threw away an application by a factional governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Athan Achonu, to stop
Ikechukwu Ukaegbu’s affirmation as the authentic governorship candidate of the party.
The Federal High Court in Bayelsa, had last month, affirmed Ukaegbu as LP’s standard flag bearer for the November governorship poll, a judgment Achonu’s camp dismissed as a joke.
But when Achonu filed an application before the Appeal Court in Owerri to be joined in the suit between Ukaegbu and another claimant to the ticket, Basil Maduka, the Court dismissed his application on the grounds that it was filed behind the 14-day window permitted by law.
A source in Ukaegbu’s camp who pleaded anonymity told Ikengaonline: “The Athan supporters had earlier said that the Bayelsa judgment 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.”
But one of Achonu’s supporters hinted that the matter was not over yet.
“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!”
The Court of Appeal is, however, yet to deliver judgment in the matter.
