Govt Dismisses Ugochukwu’s New Legal Challenge

Abia State government says it is ready to do battle with Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, who has gone back to the Court of Appeal to seek a reversal of the February 11, 2009 Court of Appeal verdict, which confirmed Chief Theodore Orji as the winner of the 2007 governorship elections in Abia State.

Ugochukwu, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2007 general elections, had two weeks ago made it public that he has filed a fresh appeal against ruling of the Justice Saka Ibiyeye-led panel  of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, which upturned the verdict of the Lower Tribunal which had ruled that Ugochukwu won the Abia governorship elections because Orji belonged to a secret cult and that the governor and his Deputy, Chris Akomas, did not resign their position from the civil service before vying for the plum job and were, therefore, disqualified from standing for the election.

But the Appeal Court disagreed with the Lower Tribunal, and in a unanimous judgement, held that the grounds for which Orji and his deputy were disqualified were pre-election matters.

Ugochuwkwu told newsmen that he was in the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, to seek justice because the Justices of Appeal Court perpetrated injustice in their verdict, alleging that they did so because they believed that the court had the final say on the matter.

Reacting to Ugochukwu’s move, Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Umeh Kalu, confirmed Monday in Umuahia that Ugochukwu has actually filed an application with a motion praying the court to reverse the Court of Appeal verdict.

The Commissioner, who briefed newsmen on government’s position, however, dismissed the action as being of no consequence, boasting that the government would not lose sleep over it.

Said Kalu: “As far as we are concerned as a government, and I am sure that you all know that the final court in matters bordering on the gubernatorial elections is the Court of Appeal and that was where we took our case to and the Court of Appeal came out with that unanimous decision and that put a final seal to their case. As far as we are concerned, we were through with that matter.

According to the commissioner, the government would not lose sleep over the development because, “Court of Appeal can not reverse itself.”

“I want to confirm to you that, yes , we have made our enquiries and it is true that he, (Ugochukwu), has actually filed an application at the Court of Appeal, Owerri. The government is waiting to be served. There is a pending application; he (Ugochukwu), has motion at the court in which he is asking that the judgment that was delivered a year ago be set aside.”

“I assure you that we have a team of lawyers and we are waiting for him. We have no fears and wherever he wants to take us to we are ready and prepared to meet him in court and I can assure you that people of Abia State are not in anyway disturbed by what is happening,” the Attorney-General added.

“Chief T.A.Orji has decided not to be distracted. We are not even giving much attention to this present application because we know the purpose. It is all political because I know that we are done with that matter and that whatever he has is like a child’s play.”

“It is surprising that the man, Onyema Ugochukwu, has decided to create an atmosphere of uncertainty in the state but he is creating that fear in minds of those who are uninformed because those who are informed know that what he filed is really nothing anybody should pay attention to, apart from drawing his party’s attention to himself,” the Commissioner said.

He accused Ugochukwu of being “desperate to recover what he calls his stolen mandate.” Kalu did not say when the actual legal fireworks would commence in Owerri.