Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 election, Peter Obi, has celebrated the victory of Victor Umeh, at the Court of Appeal, Awka.
PlatinumPost reports that the appeal court restored Umeh as the senatorial candidate of Labour Party for Anambra Central following his earlier disqualification by a high court, as a result of a suit instituted by Senator Uche Ekwunife and her party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Anambra Central is the senatorial district of Obi, which analysts say is expected to change hand from PDP to Labour Party in Saturday’s election.
Expressing delight over Umeh’s victory in a post onbhis social media pages on Thursday, Obi said
: “Congratulations to the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Anambra Central Senatorial zone in Anambra State, Sen. Victor Umeh on winning his court appeal.”
The court of appeal, while affirming Victor Umeh as the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the Anambra central district, Olubunmi Oyewole, the judge, who read the judgment via zoom on Thursday, said the court allowed the two appeals filed by LP and Umeh.
The PDP and Ekwunife, the senatorial candidate of the PDP, had sued Umeh before the federal high court on the grounds that he did not resign from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), before picking the LP ticket.
On January 27, Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, upheld the PDP’s case and disqualified Umeh.
Consequently, LP and Umeh, through their counsels, Alex Ejesieme and Patrick Ikwetoh respectively, appealed the judgment on the grounds that the PDP lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.
In the judgment, the court of appeal held that the federal high court erred when it disqualified Umeh as the party’s candidate.
The appellate court held that the suit was statute barred having been filed out of time. The court also agreed that the respondents lacked the locus standi to file the suit.
The judgment of the federal high court was set aside and Umeh was affirmed senatorial candidate for Anambra central district.
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