Court Didn’t Sack Me …Heads To Supreme Court – Emohua Chairman

Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Hon Allen Nma says it was not true that the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital has sacked him from office as claimed by his political opponents.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Port Harcourt shortly after the Appeal Court presided  over by Justice Modupe  Fasanmi delivered judgement on the matter between him and one Johnson Ordu, Hon. Nma explained that the court frowned over the inability of the lower court to address the issue of not resigning from the public service before aspiring for political office.
He called on the general public and Emohua people not to be misled by the antics of his political opponents to spread falsehood.
He said, “ It’s not true that I have been sacked by the Court of Appeal.
There was a Court of Appeal judgement today which stated that the declaratory ruling the man was looking for cannot be granted to him because he did not contest election, and that the matter was a pre-election matter during the primaries when we were in PDP and that the tenure has almost elapsed; it is like carrying out a futile exercise.”
The Emohua chairman maintained that he has never worked as a civil servant, but that he had brief stint with Panalpina Nigeria Ltd where he resigned in 1991 when he was appointed supervisor for works and transport in the old Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Since after resigning from Panalpina, he stated that he has not gone back to paid employment as he has remained a career politician, and wondered why despite documents to back his claims, the court still failed to clear the matter.
He disclosed that he would appeal to the Supreme Court to clear the matter for future reference.
Hon Nma while commenting on whether the All Progressives Congress(APC) would win the local government area in the next elections said, “ We are not calculating again if we will win, we are calculating who we will win. APC will win overwhelmingly in Emohua”.
He used the medium to pledge support to calls for the release of the Chibok girls, hinting that,” I’m not intending to celebrate the Children’s Day in solidarity with the call to release the Chibok girls”.
The Emohua chairman also called for the release of the abducted Ahoada West Local Government Area Awori Miller by his abductors, disclosing that the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria was doing everything possible to press for his release.
Meanwhile, Confusion yesterday trailed the judgement of the Appeal Court in Port  Harcourt over Chairmanship of Emohua Local Government Council in Rivers State, as the incumbent Chairman, Allen Nma and his challenger, Johnson Ordu now lay claim to the position.
Ordu yesterday insisted that he is the new Chairman of the Council while, Hon. Nma dismissed his claims, and said he was not removed by the court.
The Court of Appeal had yesterday declared the Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council in Rivers State, Mr. Allen Nma not qualified to run in the 2011 local government elections which brought him into office.
Ordu had approached the Appeal Court to grant his application seeking a declaration that he (Ordu) was the rightful candidate for the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but was disqualified while Nma contested and won the polls.
In the judgement, Hon. Justice Fasqnmi, granted the applicant’s plea that Nma was not qualified to run as candidate of the PDP as at the time of the election.
Ordu had earlier lost at the High Court presided over by Justice Adolphus Enebeli where he had gone seeking to be declared the authentic candidate of the PDP in the 2011 local Government polls.
The Counsel to the appellant, Mr. Sampson Koko told newsmen after the judgement that the Appeal Court granted his client’s application on grounds that the incumbent was not qualified to be a candidate as at the time he contested.
According to him, “the most important thing is that the tenure has not ended and provided the tenure has not expired for now, it is good for my client. If the tenure had expired, it would have been a different ball game”.
But while reacting to the judgment, Hon. Allen Nma vowed to appeal the judgment of the Appeal court, insisting that he was still the Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area.
He said the court only admitted the appeal of Mr. Ordu and did not in any way remove him from office.
He clarified that the matter in court was a pre-election matter and had nothing to do with fraud as alleged by lead counsel to Johnson Ordu, Barrister Sampson Koko, and dismissed Ordu’s claim to the Chairmanship seat as a figment of his imagination.

L-R:Resident Electoral Commissioners for Cross Rivers State, Mr Mike Igini; Akwa Ibom, Mrs Thelma Iremiren and Rivers State, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, at a retreat for Management and Operational Staff of Rivers INEC
in preparation for 2015 general election at Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, yesterday

Ike Wigodo, Akujobi Amadi