Abia PDP crisis: Declare me governor, I’m authentic PDP candidate – Nwosu

7 years ago

Abia PDP crisis: Declare me governor, I’m authentic PDP candidate – Nwosu

A legal practitioner and Abia State governorship aspirant in the December 18, 2014 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election, Mr. Friday Nwosu, has added a new dimension to the political crisis in the State, saying neither governor Okezie Ikpeazu nor Uche Ogah were qualified to be governor.
The frontline politician who claimed that he blew the whistle over the Abia governor’s alleged tax evasion accused a former governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji and some powerful politicians” of frustrating his court case against the embattled governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

He also dismissed the legal contest of Uche Ogah seeking to replace Ikpeazu, saying he stood a better chance to be governor? because he went to court first before Ogah.

Nwosu’s position was contained in one of his petitions to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, which was distributed to journalists during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja.

The petitions were copied to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).

According to him, several letters to the PCA for his case at the Owerri Division of the Appellate Court to be heard appeared not to be getting to the appropriate authorities.

The petition reads: “My Lord, the common defense of all the parties to the case of Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah is that he is in abuse of court process of the earlier suit of Sir Friday Nwosu, by instituting a fresh and different suit after his case has been served with my earlier suit with him as 4th defendant.

“Then, I believe that my appeal should be listed and heard as all the suits and now appeals have been heard, leaving my own which was earlier sent in time, despite my earlier application to my Noble Lord, the President

“Could my Lord, the President of the Court of Appeal graciously consider my plight, that is denial of fair hearing being perpetrated against me by some persons in this suit? In order to ensure that nobody hides this passionate application from from my Noble Lord, the President, may I humbly inform my Lord that I will publish this letter. My Lord, do not allow my opponents to render my appeal an academic exercise even when I filed on time and also applied to you on time.”

While expressing worry that somebody or some people were preventing the Honourable President of the Court of Appeal from seeing his three applications, the lawyer informed journalists that he was asking the PCA to “set up a panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal to hear my appeal expeditiously as that of Uche Ogah has been heard.”

He said, “My matter was instituted before Uche Ogah’s matter, with some four weeks difference. My matter at Umuahia, even on transfer from Abuja to Umuahia was No. 64,2015 and his own was 94,2015, about 30 days gap. Yet, his own has been heard and determined though in ten days time. Mine was also heard and determined but his own appeal has been concluded and mine is being sat upon.

“Senator T. A. Orji has been saying in public places that money speaks for him. I know I have complained this to the authorities previously and I know that he is still making such threat, that he is sitting on my appeal. So I do not know through whom he is able to do all these wonders.

“He is the one who has threatened that he would sit on my appeal, until that of Uche Ogah goes to Supreme Court and finishes so that my own will become an academic exercise. That is why I am saying some powerful forces are sitting over my case here?.”

According to him, while Ikpeazu contested with suspicious tax papers, Ogah, who had participated in the primary election, withdrew midway, alleging irregularities.

Nwosu said based on this development, he remained the only qualified candidate of PDP and so, should be declared winner.

He said he had since instituted some suits, one of which was seeking the disqualification of Ikpeazu.