The Imo State Election Petitions Appeal Court 2, which met in Lagos, has confirmed Emeka Martins Chinedu as the rightful candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the elected representative for the Ahiazu/Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency.
The Appeal Court Justices, led by Justice Biobele Georgewill, unanimously supported the trial court’s findings and dismissed the appeals brought by Nnanna Igbokwe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Darlington Amaechi of the Labour Party. The court ruled that their appeals lacked merit and failed to provide evidence for the issues raised.
This ruling finally resolves the long-standing dispute over the venue of the PDP primaries, which was previously considered outside the jurisdiction of the Appeal Court. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party had challenged Chinedu Emeka’s election based on this issue.
The ruling aligns with the decision made by the Tribunal for National and State Assembly Elections for Imo State on September 7, 2023. The tribunal also declared Emeka Chinedu as the rightful winner of the Ahiazu/Ezinifite/Mbaise Federal Constituency seat. The tribunal emphasized that other political parties cannot interfere in the internal affairs of rival parties, especially when it comes to venue issues related to primaries.
The arguments surrounding previous Supreme Court judgments on PDP Primaries were found to be irrelevant to the eligibility of the respondents. The Supreme Court had already validated Emeka’s primary election, and no other judgments could affect his legitimacy, especially since these issues are considered pre-election matters beyond the Tribunal’s jurisdiction.
The matter of the PDP Primaries’ venue has been thoroughly examined by the High Court, Appeal Court, and Supreme Court. All of these courts consistently upheld Emeka Chinedu’s emergence as the legitimate candidate of the party.
