Imo North Senatorial Seat: Court orders INEC to issue certificate of return to Ararume

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Ifeanyi Ararume a certificate of return within 72 hours based on the result of the December 5, 2020, Imo North Senatorial bye-election, having been declared as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgment, said Mr Ararume remained the winner of the election going by the earlier judgments of the court.

According to him, with regard to the Appeal Court judgment in Abuja, the 3rd defendant (Chukwuma Ibezim) remained disqualified.

Justice Taiwo therefore declared Mr Ararume as the APC valid candidate in the poll.

The judge earlier in a ruling dismissed Mr Ibezim’s application seeking a stay of the judgment, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the Supreme Court.

Justice Taiwo, who described the application as “an attempt to arrest the judgment,” dismissed it for lacking in merit.

Messrs Ibezim and Araraume had fielded themselves as APC candidates prior to the election.

Although INEC had declared APC winner of the bye-election, the commission did not return a candidate from the party.

INEC hinged its decision on what it described as “several court orders” for and against the two major contenders.

NAN also reported that two court judgments had surfaced on December 4, 2020 – one from the Court of Appeal, Owerri, and another from the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The Court of Appeal faulted the judgment of the Federal High Court, Owerri, which had nullified the candidacy of Mr Ibezim and declared him candidate while sacking Araraume barely 24 hours to the election.

The Federal High Court, Abuja, had on the other hand declared Mr Araraume as the candidate of the party, on the grounds that Mr Ibezim presented fake certificates to the APC and INEC.

But Mr Araraume, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, said he had also filed an application at the Supreme Court, praying that the execution of the Appeal Court judgement be stayed.

As such, the former lawmaker approached Justice Taiwo’s court for an order compelling INEC to issue him the certificate of return as the winner of the poll.

Although the judgment would have been delivered on March 16 by Justice Taiwo, Mr Ibezim, through his lawyer, M.O. Daudu, in an application for a stay of judgment, informed the court that the suit was pending before the apex court for hearing and determination.

But the counsel to Mr Ararume, Tunde Falola, said the suit at the Supreme Court had been withdrawn through a notice of withdrawal and copies served on all the defendants.

(NAN)