Connect with us

Politics

Court exonerates INEC’s Returning Officer for declaring Ifeanyi Ubah’s victory

Published

on

Ifeanyi Ubah risks death row for allegedly diverting N11bn PMS, DSS says

The Returning Officer for Anambra South Senatorial zone in the just concluded 2019 general elections, Prof Meshach Umenweke has been exonerated by a federal high court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, for declaring Chief Ifeanyi Ubah winner of the Anambra South Senatorial election.

The judgement was reached by the court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Bature Gafai after another candidate in the election, Chief Christian Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dragged Umenkwe to the Federal High Court as second respondent while INEC and Ubah are the first and third respondents respectively.

Christian Uba held in his suit that what Umenweke declared was a false result of the election and he prayed the court to investigate and prosecute Umenweke for falsely declaring Ubah the winner of the polls.

However, Justice Gafai, while delivering his judgement stated that Prof Umenweke has no case to answer and at best, would serve as principal prosecution witness in the matter.

Read also: Ondo PDP chieftains charged with money laundering claim their statements to EFCC not ‘voluntarily made’

He held that the court was not dealing with a criminal trial but to satisfy itself on whether there was a prima facie ground to proceed to investigate the allegations of the applicant or not.

His words: “What I can however safely say categorically here, with all humility, arising from the facts is that the 2nd Respondent, Prof Umenweke in fairness, may at best be a principal prosecution witness on the combined facts, for he it is who knows who and who it was and there may be many that committed the alleged threats and intimidation on him if at all”.

Justice Gafai also held that it is not the duty of the police force or any other investigative body to look into the matter adding that the duty to investigate and prosecute lies with the 1st respondent, INEC.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now