Appeal court upholds Umeh’s election, dismisses Okonkwo’s case 

• JOHN ABAYOMI


• 7 MAY 2018

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Monday upheld the election of a former Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Victor Umeh, as the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

A five-man panel of the court unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s Obiora Okonkwo.

The panel held in its judgment on Monday that Okonkwo’s appeal lacked merit.

Okonkwo had appealed against the January 12, 2018 ruling delivered by  Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, setting aside his own (Justice  Tsoho’s) earlier judgment of December 13, 2017.

Justice Tsoho had in the ruling which he later set aside on December 13, 2017 ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a certificate of return to Okonkwo.

Okonkwo was dissatisfied with Justice Tsoho’s judgment setting aside the order directing INEC to issue him certificate of return.

He had appealed to the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal, in its judgment, held that Justice Tsoho was right to have set aside the consent judgment it delivered on December 13, 2017.

But delivering the Court of Appeal’s lead judgment on Monday, Justice Frederick Oho, held that the lower court was in order in setting aside the judgment because it was a nullity.