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Appeal court pronounces Ibezim authentic APC candidate disqualifies Ararume

Ibezim & Ararume

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

In less than 24 hours to the Imo North Senatorial By-Election an Appeal Court sitting in Owerri Imo State capital has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace Ararume’s name with Mr Frank Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the Saturday December 5, election.

The court has therefore disqualified Senator Ararume from being the APC candidate as earlier declared by the lower Court.

In a unanimous judgement delivered Friday, the five-man panel of the appellate Court headed by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam pointed out that the November 6 judgment of Federal High Court in Owerri that declared Ararume as the authentic Candidate lacks jurisdiction to entertain the suit under the law.

The appellate Court therein directed INEC to disqualify Ararume forthwith and replace him with Frank Ibezim.

The Imo North Senatorial seat became vacant With the death of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu.

Ndubueze, Onyirimba and Okewulonu

Ibezim who had earlier been declared winner by the APC primary Committee before the November Judgement that disqualified him will now join 13 other candidates which include Accord Party’s Chief Patrick Ndubueze; APGA, Charles Onyirimba; PDP, Emmanuel Okewulonu and others to slug it out at the polls come Saturday.

The atmosphere in the area made up of six local governments areas of Obowo, Ihitte-Uboma, Ehime-Mbano, Isiala-Mbano, Onuimo and Okigwe is now tensed Following the disqualification of Ararume.

Speaking earlier with Nation Update online, the Accord Party candidate Chief Ndubueze described Ararumes participation in the Senatorial contest as a mark of ungrateful to the zone, having been to the Senate twice many years ago and having also contested governorship of the state many times even at the last 2019 polls.

“Ararume entrant into the Senatorial contest is an insult to the people of Okigwe, does it mean nobody is growing in the zone? It’s really unfortunate,” Ndubueze said.

The former PDP candidate in the 2019 Senatorial election frowned at situation where the zone keeps on witnessing re-run at every Senatorial election, called on the electorates to make the best choice and stand by their votes, “shun money Politics and resist thuggery.”