The Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting today at Abuja dismissed the motion filed by one of the defeated Abia PDP aspirants, Mr F N Nwosu, seeking leave of court to appeal the ruling of the Owerri division of the Court of Appeal in respect of the Governor Ikpeazu tax certificate matter.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Mary Odili, the panel of 5 judges threw out the motion for being incompetent as the appellant failed to forward the relevant ruling of the Appeal Court.
Ruling on the motion filed by Mr Alex Otti, the defeated APGA candidate in the 2015 Abia Governorship election, the court aligned with the argument of the Ikpeazu legal team that Otti has nothing to lose and should not be asking for abridgment of time. However, the court directed Governor Ikpeazu to formally file his arguments against the motion and adjourned proceedings to 12th of April 2017.
Speaking after today’s proceedings at the court, Barr Emeka Eze, Special Adviser to Governor Ikpeazu on Legal matters, praised the court for strictly applying the law in dismissing the motion filed by Mr Nwosu. According to him, “these motions and cases at the Supreme Court represent acts of political desperation by those defeated by the Governor and their only objective is to slow down the hardworking Governor from delivering dividends of democracy to the people of Abia State who trooped out in large numbers to elect him in 2015”.
He called on Abians to remain steadfast in support and prayers for the Okezie Administration and assured that the legal distractions will not affect ongoing projects scattered across the state as the team representing the Governor is the best available in Nigeria. He expressed total confidence on the Supreme Court to do substantial justice in favor of the Governor.
“Every Abian know that the Governor paid his taxes as they were deducted at source, there is nothing to worry about and we have confidence that based on recent rulings by the Supreme Court the distractions will end by the 12th of May”, he said.
With this ruling, Mr F N Nwosu has no legal basis to continue his ill advised quest to distract Governor Ikpeazu.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the matter brought by another defeated PDP aspirant, Mr Uche Ogah, on the 12th of May 2017. If the court rules in favor of Governor Ikpeazu, as expected by most judicial watchers, the case filed by Mr Otti will end up as a wasted academic act of desperation.
JOK
Comments are closed.