From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Julius Abure led National Working Committee (NWC) of Labour Party (LP) has maintained that Senator Athan Achonu remains the authentic candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Imo State.
The party further denied that Abure had been sacked by the Imo State Court of Appeal, charging the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) with infiltration.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Imo State had Thursday upheld the June 23 judgment of a Federal High Court in Owerri, which dismissed Senator Achonu appeal for being incompetent.
The Court held that Achonu, who is the governorship candidate of the Abure’s led NWC, failed to obtain leave of court before filing the notice of appeal and that robbed the court of necessary jurisdiction to hear his appeal.
The court also held that the appeal was statute barred because it was not filed within 14 days as required by law.
His notice of appeal was dated July 6 but because it was not filed with a leave (permission) of court which must first be sought and granted it became of no effect and everything built on it was also of no effect.
But the Abure led-NWC at a at a press briefing Friday in Abuja dismissed the court ruling, describing it as a
shameless attempts to misinform members of the public on the huge progress being made to reposition the Party as one of the biggest political parties in Nigeria.
The National Secretary of the Abure-led NWC, Umar Farouk, while speaking, said, “In conclusion, we state categorically that Senator Achonu remains the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Imo state as no court has stated otherwise. That the Independent National Electoral Commission has since published his name as the party’s candidate.
“That Chief Ukaegbu Ikechukwu Joseph is not the candidate of the Labour Party and that no court either Federal High Court or Court of Appeal ever declared him LP candidate. As well no court in Nigeria has accorded Apapa the status of the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
“Senator Achonu has received very wide endorsement by Imolites who are tired of the high level of insecurity and maladministration in the state. Our national leader Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members have also filed behind him. We await victory at the November 11 polls and no gang up by some desperate politicians can stop an idea whose time has come.”