Court Declares Ikechi Emenike as Abia APC Governorship Candidate

Matilda Omonaiye/

Publisher and businessman, Chief Ikechi Emenike, was on Thursday affirmed as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State.

Justice Kate N. Ogbonnaya of Abuja High Court sitting in Kubwa, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), declared that Emenike is the governorship candidate of the party in the South-East state for the March 2, 2019 election.

The judge also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Emenike as the candidate.

With the judgement, Uche Ogah, who emerged as a factional candidate from a parallel congress, has been sacked.

During the primaries organized by the Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe-led state APC, Emenike polled 274,133 votes to defeat Ogah; former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Martins Azubuike; Abuja-based legal practitioner, Chief Friday Nwosu; former Deputy Governor, Chris Akomas; former Nigeria’s Consular-General to South Africa, Ambassador Okey Emuchey and former Commissioner for Lands, Mr Paul Ikonne.

But, Chairman of the Electoral Committee of a factional primary, Mr David Iyoha, declared Ogah as the winner.