Supreme Court Sacks Oduah, Uba, Others as Legislators

The Supreme Court on Friday sacked senators representing Anambra South, Andy Uba, and his Anambra North counterpart, Stella Oduah, as well as other state and National Assembly legislators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The apex court, in its judgement, affirmed as null and void a caretaker committee, headed by Col. Augustine Akobundo (retd.), and its list, nominating Oduah and Uba, as well as the rest of PDP state and federal legislators from Anambra State to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the party’s candidates for the 2015 general elections.

A five-man panel of the apex court, led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, unanimously affirmed an earlier verdict delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 15, 2014, which had affirmed the Ejike Oguebego-led executive committee of the party, along with the primaries conducted by it, and its list of candidates that emerged from the exercise.

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja had earlier set aside the Federal High Court judgement and affirmed the Andy Uba-faction of the state executive committee.

But Oguebego and another member of his state executive committee, Chuks Okoye, had appealed against the judgement of the Court of Appeal.

The appellants joined the PDP, INEC and another member of the party in the state, Chukwudi Okasia, as respondents.

Ruling in favour of Oguebego on Friday, Justice John Okoro, who read the lead judgement of the apex court, upturned the verdict of the appeal court on the grounds that its decision was based “on a wrong appreciation of the claim of the appellants before the trial Federal High Court.”

Justice Okor ruled, “Having resolved all the five issues in favour of the appellants, I hold that there is merit in this appeal, which is hereby allowed. The judgement of the Court of Appeal is hereby set aside.

“The order of the Federal High Court I Suit No FHC/PH/CS/2013 now Suit No FHC/AWK/CS/247/2013), recognising the Ejike Oguebego-led Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Anambra State chapter is still subsisting until it is set aside by another court.