The Abia State Chapter of the Labour Party, has rejected the decision of the appeal court which sent their Senator, Darlington Nwokocha parking, describing it as shocking, pervasive and a smuggled-in judgement, which is unacceptable.
Journalist101 had reported that the Appellate court, sitting in Lagos on Saturday, sacked Senator Nwokocha and declared Colonel Austin Akobundu (retd) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as the winner of the election.
The court held that Nkwocha wasn’t properly nominated by the Labour party as he wasn’t a member of the party according section 77 of the 2022 electoral act.
But addressing a press conference at the state party secretariat in Umuahia on Sunday, the Abia state Labour party chairman cum chairman of council of chairmen, Mr Ceekay Igara, noted that senator Darlington Nwokocha remains the senator representing Abia central since the Chairman of the National Assembly Election Appeal Court, Sir Biobele A. George Will, Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA) in Lagos state, reversed himself in subsequent judgements he gave on same day.
He said that in jurisprudence, the appeallate court and other courts, lacks the jurisdiction to hear internal party matters , and issued an ultimatum for the judge to release the controversial judgement to the party to ascertain the exact content of the said judgement.
Igara while stating that Colonel Austin Akobundu (retd) of the PDP, was never ‘in the ballot’, wondered why the appeallate judge would sideline the choice of the Abia central people and give a judgement which could have only be gotten through imagination.
“We register our displeasure on the outcome of that judgement . It is a known fact that in jurisprudence, every party internal matter cannot be adjudicated by the judiciary because we have a plethora of judgement from the supreme court and other courts that is why we are most shocked by the rascality of the judiciary.
“Basically, that section 77 where the judgement was predicated on, we’ve had a lot of judgements that both the tribunal and appeal court have reversed. For example, the case of Hon. Amobi Ogah, Hon. Obi Aguocha, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe and most recently, the Labour party candidate in Delta state.
“We have plethora of judgements that are saying that the lower court and the appeallate court do not have the jurisdiction over party internal affairs.
“We are demanding as a party, that the judge deliver to us details of that judgement before the end of today (Sunday), for us to know if what he said will stand anywhere, even when he has reversed himself.
“Nobody knew Akobundu was in the ballot. How can you come and change what the people want? and you start giving us what you imagined in your brain? We say no to this; let the right judgement be given to us,” Igara said.
“Distinguished senator Darlington Nwokocha has not been removed because if he has been removed, there is no way the judge would have reversed himself. Darlington Nwokocha remains our only senator in Abia central,” he added.
