…Orders INEC To Issue Ararume Certificate Of Return Within 72 Hours
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume a certificate of return within 72 hours in the Dec. 5, 2020 Imo North Senatorial By-election, having been declared as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgment, said Ararume remained the winner of the election going by the earlier judgments of the court.
According to him, with regard to the Appeal Court judgment in Abuja, the 3rd defendant (Chukwuma Ibezim) remained disqualified.
Justice Taiwo therefore declared Ararume as the APC valid candidate in the poll.
The judge earlier in a ruling dismissed Ibezim’s application seeking a stay of the judgment, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the Supreme Court.Justice Taiwo, who described the application as “an attempt to arrest the judgment,” dismissed it for lacking in merit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ibezim and Araraume had fielded themselves as APC candidates prior to the election. Although INEC had declared APC winner of the Dec. 5 Senatorial bye-election, the commission did not return a candidate from the party.INEC hinged its decision on what it described as “several court orders” for and against the two major contenders.
NAN also reports that two court judgements had surfaced on Dec. 4, 2020; one from the Court of Appeal, Owerri, and another from the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Court of Appeal faulted the judgment of the Federal High Court, Owerri, which had nullified the candidacy of Ibezim and declared him candidate while sacking Araraume barely 24 hours to the election.
