Dr. Uche Ogah has arrived Umuahia in the hope of being sworn-in as the new Governor of Abia State as ordered on Monday by a Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital territory (FCT) Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang.

Citing the ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday morning issued Ogah a Certificate of Return, thus withdrawing the one it had earlier issued to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogah has since arrived at Umuahia from Abuja. The report said that Ogah upon arriving the state capital on Thursday “at about 5.45 p.m., headed straight to the office of the State Director of the State Security Service (SSS) in Umuahia, where he held a closed-door meeting with the State Director, Korede Kamoju. The meeting lasted till about 8.10 p.m.”

“Ogah left the SSS office in a long motorcade but could not be reached by the journalists, who had waited throughout the period of the meeting for his comments on the unfolding political development in the state,” the report added.

Though Ikpeazu has appealed the judgement and even obtained an Abia High Court order against its execution, reports from Umuahia say the main reason why Ogah is yet to be sworn-in is because the Abia Chief Judge, Justice Theresa Uzoukwu, who is supposed to perform the function, is nowhere to be found.

News Express reports that both Ikpeazu and Ogah are chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ikpeazu beat Ogah to the second position during the party’s governorship primary held in December 2014 and subsequently won the state governorship election held on April 11, 2015. Justice Abang, however, ordered his removal on the basis that he forged his tax papers and was, therefore, not qualified to contest the governorship ballot.

•Photo shows Dr. Uche Ogah.

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