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By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA-THE plot by the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress to disqualify the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate for the Ideato North and South Federal Constituency election, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, suffered a setback, Friday, as the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri quashed the suit filed by the APC to disqualify him.

The ruling party in the state had approached the court to disqualify only Ugochinyere on the basis that his primary election was conducted in Owerri the state capital and not within the federal constituency.

This suit which singled out Ikenga Ugochinyere is despite the fact that all forty PDP legislative election primaries in Imo State were held at the same time and same venue because of overwhelming security challenges in Imo State and Orlu zone in particular.

Stakeholders in the State are of the opinion that the fear of the impending landslide victory of Ikenga Ugochinyere must have informed the Suit as the APC did not take all the PDP candidates to court except the opposition spokesperson.

Justice M. A. Onyetenu in his judgment declared that the suit was baseless and vexatious and only amounted to meddlesomeness by the plaintiff since APC as a political does not have any business challenging the primaries of another political party.

The judge further described the primary election that produced Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere as proper and in line with the Electoral Act.

Ikenga Ugochinyere hailed the Nigerian judiciary as truly the last hope of the common man and the bastion of the Nigerian democracy saying for the eighth straight time he had obtained judicial victory in the race for the Federal House of Representatives seat.

He also described the judgment as yet another resounding victory for democracy, noting that with this hurdle out of the way, he was sure of a tsunami of votes.

In less than 30 minutes, when the news of the judgment hit town, there was carnival-like jubilation in the Federal Constituency with cars blaring their horns, market women singing songs and youths running around the villages singing songs of victory saying Ikenga is their warrior who will win their wars for them.

The PDP Chairmen of Ideato South and North, Chief Durukweaku and Chief ThankGod Okeke, while reacting to the judgment, called on Ideato People to vote for PDP and Ikenga Ugochinyere.

They said the judgment has reaffirmed the people’s confidence that Ikenga if elected as Representative for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, would have the capacity to deliver effectively for the constituency.

The politicians added that Ugochinyere would bring democratic dividends to Ideato people and attract home sustainable infrastructure and other dividends of democracy.

” In Ikenga, Ideato People, Igbo race and Nigeria will have a strong voice and courageous defender of democracy, justice and good governance,”Chief ThankGod Okeke said.