LP members protest over appeal court judgement, declares it pervasive
By Emeka Okafor
Members of the Labour Party in Abia Central Senatorial District of Abia State on Monday morning carried out a massive peaceful protest against the judgement delivered by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos which invalidated the mandate of the Senator representing the district, Senator Darlington Nwokocha who won the election under the Party’s platform.
Recall that a Panel of the Appeal Court sitting in Lagos had on Saturday declared the candidate the Peoples Democratic Party, Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd) the winner of the February 25, senatorial election held in senatorial district.
The Daily Times reports that party supporters who first went to the State Labour Party Secretariate along Ikot Ikpene Road in Umuahia to register their protest where the State Party Chairman, Chief Ceekay Igara and other major stakeholders that included the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Austin Ugochukwu Mmeregini who also represents Umuahia East State Constituency and other party leaders before proceeding to City Centre.
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The party members who were adorned in black attire displayed placards describing the A’Court judgement as pervasive. Some of inscription read, “Judicial impunity must stop, “we voted for Darlington Nwokocha and not Col. Austin Akobundu, “Darlington’s mandate must be recovered,”, “NJC where are You? Redeem your image”
Addressing the party supporter the party chairman in the state.
Chief Ceekay Igara, said the judgment was pervasive and cannot stand.
Igara who wondered why the panel of the appeal that sacked Nwokocha, also upheld the the election of the member representing Isiala Ngwa North and South Federal Constituency Chief Ginger Onwusibe, who had a similar case with him.
He said, “we are in shock about the judgement because the section 77 of the electoral act where the panel relied to deliver the judgement which deald with the membership of a party have been decided by the supreme Court as an internal affairs of the political party.
“We are demanding for the details of the judgement to enable our lawyers to study and decide on the next line of action”.
However, earlier in his remarks, Arthur Nwachukwu, a constituent from Isiala Ngwa North State Constituency condemned the judgement maintaining that the electorates in the Senatorial District voted for Senator Darlington Nwokocha but wondered why the Court of Appeal would through their judgement replace their choice they made at the polls.
“ We want to tell Nigerians in the wider space that we are not happy, we are not condemning the entire judiciary for this, but, as peace loving people, let the judiciary current the pervasion of justice “, he pleaded.
