Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Abia State,
Justice Morenike Ogunwumiju of the Court of Appeal has ordered that the status quo be maintained in the Abia State governorship tussle pending the determination of appeal filed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu against the judgment of the Federal High Court removing him from office.
Justice Ogunwumiju, leading a panel of five justices of the appelate court ruled that “both parties should remain as they were to allow the court expeditious hearing of various complaints brought before this court,” implying that the judgment of the Federal High Court removing Okezie from office subsists.
The Judge fixed the hearing of the appeal for 9 August.
Dr Alex Otti, the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in 2015 gubernatorial election on Tuesday applied to join the appeal filed by Governor Ikpeazu against the court order removing him from office.
Justice Ogunwumiju had earlier informed the court that there were eight appeals against the judgment of Justice Okon Abang in which Governor Ikpeazu was ordered to vacate office for presenting false tax information in the nomination form he submitted to INEC to contest the 2015 polls as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The Judge ordered INEC to issue a certificate of return to Chief Uche Ogah who came second in the PDP primaries held in December, 2014.
INEC had already obeyed the court order by issuing a fresh certificate of return to Ogah.
Source:: PM Newspaper
