Anambra governorship poll: Court clears Obiano of double voter registration. November 6, 2013 Politics No comments Willie-Obiano The court also awarded cost against the plaintiff. The gubernatorial aspirations of APGA candidate in the coming governorship election in Anambra State, Willie Obiano, received a boost Tuesday when the High Court of Anambra State sitting in Otuocha division, dismissed a petition brought before Justice D. O. C. Amaechina pleading the court to disqualify the gubernatorial hopeful from standing election on November 16, 2013 for allegedly possessing double voter’s cards. Following speculations that the defendant who hails from Aguleri in Anambra North Senatorial District may have registered twice in readiness for the coming elections, the plaintiff, Chuma Tony Oli, had dragged Mr. Obiano and APGA to court, pleading for his disqualification from the race. However, after studying the plaintiff’s claim as submitted by his counsel, Emeka Ugezu, and the defendant’s counter claim submitted by Sylvester Odili, Justice Amaechina threw out the case for lack of merit and awarded cost against the plaintiff in the sum of N50, 000. Justice Amaechina further upheld that Chief Obiano, the 1st defendant had “fulfilled the conditions set out for qualification to the office of the Governor of a state as provided by section 117 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 199 as amended,” further emphasising that the APGA candidate does not come within the ambit of any of the disqualifying conditions set out in section 182 of the 199 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to him, Mr. Obiano “did not include his name in the register of voters for a constituency in which he is not entitled to be registered and did not cause himself to be registered in more than one registration centre and as such did not contravene any of the provisions of Section 117 of the 2010 Electoral Act.” Justice Amaechina also held that the 2nd defendant, APGA rightly elected and presented Mr. Obiano as its gubernatorial candidate for the coming elections and subsequently awarded the sum of N50, 000 against the plaintiff in favour of the defendants. The judgement lays to rest all speculations and false accusations that have trailed Mr. Obiano’s candidature in the coming elections.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 09:38:59 +0000
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