Party withdraws suit against Uzodinma

A political party , the Reform and Advancement Party , and a governorship aspirant , Kingdom Okere , on Tuesday withdrew its suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the emergence of Hope Uzodinma as Governor of Imo State .

The plaintiffs had contended in their suit that the Supreme Court had declared Uzodinma ’ s candidacy on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the last 2019 governorship election in the state .

They contended that by virtue of a December 20 , 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court, Uche Uwosu , a son - in - law of the immediate - past governor , Rochas Okorocha , was the candidate of the APC in the election and not Uzodinma .

The referenced judgment of the apex court had declared that Nwosu was simultaneously sponsored by both the APC and the Action Alliance in violation of the law .

Despite the December 20 , 2019 judgment , the apex court had on January 14 , 2020 , removed Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party and declared Uzodinma as the validly elected governor of the state on the platform of APC .

RAP and Okere , in their suit filed on June 25 , 2020 and marked FHC /ABJ/ CS / 677/ 2020 , sought , among others , a declaration that Uzodinma “ did not lawfully participate and was not sponsored by the 4 th defendant ( APC) to contest the 2019 Imo State Governorship election in accordance with Section 177 ( c ) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ” .

But at the Tuesday’ s proceedings , defence lawyers M . A . Aguma , Idris Yakubu and Hassan Umar ( SAN ) , representing Uzodinma , and the Independent National Electoral Commission , respectively , urged the court not to only dismiss the suit but to also award cost against the plaintiffs .

While Aguma asked for N 8 m cost , Umar asked for N 5 m .

But the judge , Justice Okon Abang , in dismissing the suit awarded N 500, 000 against the plaintiffs and in favour of the two defendants .