The Abuja High Court which had in a ruling on the eve of the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections, barred Hon. (Deacon) Chike Okafor from parading and participating as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ehime/Mbano/Obowo and Ihitte Uboma (Okigwe South) federal constituency, has now executed the order.

In granting the prayer sought by the plalintiff,Mrs Uzorma Chioma MaryAnn to this effect, the Abuja High Court last week ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return already given to Hon Okafor, and give same to Accord party candidate , Emeka Nwajiuba who came second in the election.

Earlier, the court in determining the originating summons instituted by an APC aspirant in the October 2018 primary election in the state by Mrs Uzoma Chioma MaryAnn, had restrained INEC from further recognizing, accepting or listing the name of the partys candidate in the 2019 ballot paper for Okigwe South federal constituency, a matter the INEC ignored when it presented Chike Okafor as duly nominated, whereas according to records he neither participated nor contested the primary election of the APC, which at this material time, had two warring factions with the “Agburu Camp to which Chike Okafor belonged”, boycotting the primary election on the order of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Mrs Uzoma had approached the court to determine whether the process of the political party’s selecting and presenting a candidate for the election without conducting primary election, was in conformity with relevant portions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a section of the constitution of the party.

Though, Mrs Uzoma prayed the court for an order compelling the party to submit the plaintiffs name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it’s validly nominated, gender based and cleared consensus candidate for Okigwe South federal constituency, and further order, compelling INEC to accept, enlist and process the plaintiff’s name as the dully nominated, cleared consensus candidate of the party or alternatively conduct a fresh primary elections.

Speaking on the development, Barr Greg Ihejirika, who is a close confidant of Emeka Nwajiuba confirmed that INEC has since implemented the court’s latest order and that Nwajiuba is now the member-elect for Okigwe South federal constituency.

Hon Emeka Nwajiuba was yesterday at the INEC’s head quarter,Abuja issued certificate of return.

The occasion was witnessed by his supporters,including Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu all of whom were in Abuja to show solidarity.

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