A Federal High Court sitting in Awka on Wednesday ruled against Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, who had challenged the emergence of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as the party’s candidate for the upcoming November 8 governorship election in Anambra State.
Presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, held that Valentine Ozigbo failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Ukachukwu was ineligible to participate in the APC primary held on April 5.
Ozigbo had approached the court seeking to nullify Ukachukwu’s candidacy, claiming that he was not lawfully qualified to contest the party’s primary election.
But in her judgement on Wednesday, Justice Anyadike held that while there were discrepancies worthy of concern in the documentation presented by Ukachukwu, the court lacked the jurisdiction to substitute one candidate for another.
She said: “The court cannot interfere in the internal matters of a political party where the plaintiff has not provided incontrovertible proof of the date of membership, nor shown that the party acted outside its constitutional powers.”
Ozigbo while reacting to the judgement reiterated his commitment to justice, but stated he would consult with his lawyers on the next steps.
“We are consulting with our lawyers, we will decide on our next step. I did not fight this case for myself, I fought for Ndi Anambra. I fought to protect the soul of our democracy, and that fight is far from over.”
Ozigbo’s legal team had argued that Ukachukwu’s membership registration was altered retroactively to beat the eligibility deadline.
Ozigbo added: “This was not just about form-filling, it was about principle. It was about saying no to criminality. Unfortunately, the court blinked.”
Meanwhile, Ukachukwu’s supporters rejoiced over the judgment.
Ukachukwu had recently concluded a tour to all the 21 local government areas of the state, to thank delegates for electing him as the candidate.
