The Federal High Court presided over by Justice Okon Abang, ruled in the matter between the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the seizure of his Certificate of Return.

The Judge submitted that the electoral umpire does not have any right under any known law in Nigeria to withhold the Certificate of Return of a candidate after he has been returned as winner.

The former governor, Okorocha has described the Judiciary in Nigeria as “the Daniel that has always come to Judgement”.

He said that whatever happened concerning his Certificate of Return was in the plan of God “so that the nation’s democracy can further be strengthened and rights of the citizenry also protected considering the pronouncement of the Court over the seizure of his Certificate of Return”.

Okorocha also said that he has forgiven the Returning Officer in the Imo West Senatorial election, Prof. Innocent Ibeabuchi who falsely claimed that he declared him winner under duress “and all those who had played one role or the other to cause the ordeal he went through, over his Certificate of Return.”

Meanwhile, the Imo State governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2019 general election, Uche Nwosu has hailed the Federal High Court judgment on the Imo West Senatorial election.

Nwosu in a chat with journalists in Owerri, shortly after the judgment, said that the judiciary has once more proven to be the hope of the common man.

According to him, “the judiciary has shown that it is the last hope of the common man. The landmark judgment has shown that no matter how hard you try to suppress the truth, justice will always prevail”. (The Nation)

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