Imo North: Supreme Court Rejects Ararume’s Appeal

An appeal by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume to have the Supreme Court declare him the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the Imo North Senate election was dismissed on Friday.

The five man panel of the country’s apex court rejected the bid of the two term senator in a unanimous judgment.

The panel headed by Justice Amina Augie in two separate judgments of cases referring to the Imo North imbroglio, affirmed the judgments of the Court of Appeal which voided the decisions of the Federal High Court in Owerri.

The Owerri Court had earlier upheld Ararume as the candidate of the APC but the decision was upturned by the Court of Appeal which recognized Frank Ibezim, Ararume’s rival in the contest for the APC Senate ticket.

The judgments delivered on Friday, February 5, 2021 were on the appeals marked: SC/971/2020 and SC/972/2020 filed by Ararume.

The court directed that the judgments should also be applied to the cross-appeal, marked: SC/1060/2020 filed Dr. Edith Chidinma Uwajimogu.

Uwajimogu had also contested the primary.

Justice Tijani Abubakar, of the Supreme Court who prepared the lead judgments on the Imo North mess, affirmed that following his review of the arguments by the different parties and issues at stake he said that he did not find any merit in the appeal filed by Ararume.

He said:

“I hold the view that the lower court (Court of Appeal) was right in coming to the conclusion that the first respondent (Ibezim) was shut out and denied of his right to be heard as a necessary party in the suit at the trial court (Federal High Court).

“Therefore, the proceedings of the trial court constitute a nullity and must be struck out. Appellant’s appeal, therefore, lacked merit and it is hereby dismissed.

“The decision of the lower court, setting aside the judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed. Parties are to bear their respective costs,” Justice Abubakar said.

Other members of the panel, Justices Augie, Uwani Abba-Aji, Samuel Oseji and Emmanuel Agim, all agreed with the lead judgment.

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