Supreme Court verdict: Why God has been granting Emenike victory – Abia APC

* It’s apt vote for rule of law, human decency – Emenike

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

All Progressive Congress (APC), Abia State chapter, has ascribed the Supreme Court victory of its governorship candidate, High Chief ikechi Emenike, to the will of God, say that the Almighty has set him on a mission to take Abia to the Promised Land.

“Emenike is leading our great Party on a divinely ordained mission to Rescue and Develop Abia (RADA). That’s the reason the Almighty God has continued to grant him  victories along the way and so shall it be till he leads Abia to the Promised Land,” Abia APC Chairman, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu said, while reacting to the Supreme Court verdict that affirmed Emenike and the authentic governorship candidate of the party in Abia for the 2023 elections.

Emenike, since the May 26, 2023, governorship primary through which he emerged as Abia APC guber candidate, has had to survive 24 suits brought against him by forces seeking to grab the governorship ticket from his grip.

But the Supreme Court, on Thursday, February 9, 2023, ended the barrage of distractions by affirming Ikechi Emenike as the duly elected Abia APC  governorship candidate for the 2023 election.

A five-member panel of the apex court led by Tijani Abubakar affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered in December 2022.

On May 26, 2023, the APC declared Emenike the winner of its governorship primary in the state but later, same day, Ogah, gathered his own supporters and staged another primary in which the former Minister was returned as the winner.

On November 11, Binta Nyako, a Federal High Court Judge, sacked Emenike and ordered INEC to recognise Ogah as the party’s governorship candidate in the state.

Both APC and Emenike separately appealed the judgement delivered by Nyako.

Dan Eke, another aspirant, also filed an appeal challenging the judgment of the trial judge that recognised Ogah’s candidacy.

In December 2022, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, affirmed Emenike as the party’s candidate.

Ononogbu declared that there was no victor, no vanquished in Emenike’s Supreme Court victory but victory for democracy and called on Ogah and his supporters to return and make the Abia APC a united, formidable family to enable the party to win the Abia governorship contest and rescue Abia and Abians.

Ononogbu, in a statement in Umuahia Thursday, noted that the Supreme Court ruling in favour of Emenike has helped to save internal party democracy, which he said, was under strain.

“Today, the leadership and the entire membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abia State chapter, received with utmost joy and high sense of relief, the verdict of the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirming the candidature of our indefatigable Governorship Candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike. 

“It has been a tortuous journey getting to this point where the apex court of the land has put to rest every doubts, disagreements and outright falsehood concocted to discredit our credible and transparent Governorship Primary of May 26, 2022.

“At the end of it all, democracy has triumphed; the rule of law has taken its right course. We thank the Supreme Court Justices for stepping in to save internal party democracy, which was put under serious strain by anti-democratic forces. We have, once again, proved that we stand for and practice true democracy,” Ononogbu’s statement read in part. 

“While we rejoice and are glad for the good things that our good Lord has done for us, let us not lose sight of the fact that Abia APC is ONE family. What has happened in our party was mere disagreement which is common occurrence in a family setting. It was not a fight. So, make no mistake about it: our stance is No victor, No vanquished.

“The most important thing now is that the disagreement has been resolved. We must come together as a family and pursue our collective interest. We must put away the bitterness and divisive politics of the past and embrace love, peace and togetherness.

“I, therefore, make a special appeal to Dr. Uche Ogah and his supporters to come home and reintegrate into the APC family. We are eagerly waiting to receive them and accord them their rightful place as family members of Abia APC.

“The people of Abia are looking up to our Party to liberate them from the hands of the perpetrators of bad governance. We can only achieve our avowed mission of RADA if we work together as a united, formidable force. Ndi Abia will not forgive us if we disappoint them in pursuit of personal ambition and group interests in place of the common good of all Abians,” the statement added.

While commending Chief Emenike as “a man of great ideas and vision” for his doggedness and uncompromising resistance against the retrogressive forces and their avalanche of distractions, the Abia APC helmsman urged party faithful to remain vigilant because “the evil forces holding this State down will not rest on their oars. They will continue to fight in collaboration with their agents. This is their last fight because they know their time is up.”

 He however expressed hope that with God on the side of the party, “the forces of darkness will not triumph over the forces of light, ably led by our high flying Governorship Candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike.”

“Let’s remain steadfast. We shall overcome, to the glory of God and betterment of Abia, God’s Own State,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, has welcomed with immense gratitude, the Supreme Court verdict affirming him as the flag bearer of the party in the 2023 general election. 

Reacting to the verdict delivered on Thursday by the apex court in Abuja, Emenike described it as “a very important victory for the good people of Abia State, whose cause we are fighting for in our rescue movement.”

“This is also a very apt vote for the rule of law and human decency,” he said.

Alluding to the plethora of 24 cases filed against him, the APC governorship standard bearer stated that it was noteworthy that the Supreme Court in the country has repeatedly warned senior lawyers to stop filing frivolous cases in courts and to know when to advise their clients to sheathe the sword.

He said that even with the unprecedented number of court cases instituted from within and outside Abia APC, all challenging his governorship ticket, he was never in doubt about the authenticity of his candidacy which was “a product of due process and rule of law.”

The APC governorship hopeful thanked the Justices of the Supreme Court for affirming his candidacy in line with the four different Appeal Court judgements that had all unanimously returned the same verdict, affirming him as the duly elected governorship candidate of APC in Abia.  

While congratulating his rival, Uche Ogah “for fighting a tortuous battle,” Emenike extended a hand of fellowship to the former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development. 

He urged Ogah “to bury the hatchet” and join hands with him to rescue and develop Abia,” declaring that “there is no victor, no vanquished.”

“For those that really love Abia and care for the wellbeing of the people, this is the time to demonstrate it by joining our movement to rescue and develop Abia (RADA).

“I bear no grudges or malice against any individual or group that went to court to ventilate their grievances because they acted within their democratic and constitutional rights. 

“Even our opponents in rival political parties that went to Court seeking to derail our Rescue Movement also acted within their democratic rights,” Emenike noted.

While ackowledging the distractions caused by the unprecedented number of court cases filed by opponents and their proxies to nullify his candidacy, Emenike said that he has put all that behind him.

“The most important thing is that truth has triumphed over falsehood, rule of law has triumphed over rule of force and democracy has further strengthened its roots in our nation,” he said.

The Abia APC standard bearer expressed gratitude to Almighty God for seeing the party through the difficult period and also thanked the national and state leaderships of his APC as well as the entire Abia APC family for standing by him all through the legal battles.

“Our eventual victory is the Lord’s doing and a big impetus towards the successful accomplishment of our avowed mission to rescue and develop Abia State,” he said.