The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the disqualification of Frank Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the December 5, 2020, Imo North Senatorial election.
Justice Emmanuel Agim delivering a unanimous judgment held that the suit which led to Mr Ibezim’s disqualification for allegedly supplying false information to secure nomination was statute-barred at the time it was instituted.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suit was filed by Asomugha Elebeke, one of the aspirants, who had expressed interest to contest the party’s primary for the bye-election.
The apex court, therefore, voided, nullified and set aside the concurrent judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court and Court of Appeal that nullified the candidacy of Mr Ibezim on the grounds of perjury.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, had on March 18, ordered INEC to issue Mr Ararume with the certificate of return.
The suit before the Supreme Court was that which sought to upturn the judgment of Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, and that of the Court of Appeal which both nullified Ibezim’s candidacy on the grounds that he made false declarations in the documents he submitted to INEC.
The two lower courts specifically held that Ibezim “bears two different and irreconcilable names” and presented three falsified West African Examination Council results for the same election.
One of the certificates bears Chukwuemeka Frank Ibezim and another Francis Ibezim Chukwuemeka among other differences, it was held.
(NAN)
