A federal high court
in Awka, Anambra state capital, has ordered the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to prosecute Ifeanyi Ubah, senator-elect of Anambra-south
and M.N Umenweke, the returning officer, over criminal allegations
levelled against them in the February 23 election.
The
order came following an application sought from the court by Chris Uba,
senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the district.
Uba
had, among others, asked for “A further order of mandamus compelling the 1st
Respondent to prosecute the second ( Prof MN Umenweke) for announcing or
publishing a false result to the effect that the 3rd Respondent had won the
election held on the said 23/2/2019 even when they both knew that the said
election was inconclusive and from which no genuine result had thereby been
generated.”
In
the order, I.B Gafai, the judge, asked the INEC to conduct investigation into
the matter within 14 days for the purpose of prosecuting the respondents.
“Upon
the honourable court having delivered a considered judgement today, it hereby
ordered as follows: The 1st Respondent (INEC) shall within 14 days from today
conduct or cause investigation into the criminal allegations of the Applicant
(Chris Uba),” the judgement read in part.
“Prosecute,
if the investigation result so warrants, the third Respondent ( Ifeanyi Uba)
and any other person(s) implicated in its investigation.
“Where
it considers it inexpedient to prosecute through its legal officers, consider
at its liberty, the appointment of the Applicant’s solicitors in this suit for
the purpose of such prosecution.”
Ubah
won the senatorial election under the platform of the Young Peoples Party
(YPP) but defected to the
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday.
-
The Cable
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