Barely two weeks after his official resignation as the Deputy Speaker of the 8th Imo State House of Assembly, following the political turmoil that erupted on the floor of the House that saw to the suspension of the Speaker, Rt. Hon Acho Ihim, the embattled Hon Ugonna Ozuruigbo, has been sacked as member-elect of the Federal House of Representatives, by a Federal High Court sitting in Owerri.
The Court presided over by Justice P.A Reguime, had in a landmark judgment delivered on Monday, May 27, 2019, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw and issue a Certificate of Return to Hon. Kingsley Echendu, of the People’s Democratic party (PDP).
Months after the conduct of the general elections, there were strong indications that the inability of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Imo state to resolve it’s earlier crises and non-conduct of primary elections for Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre and Nwangele federal constituency was causing uncertainty in the political camp of Hon. Ugonna Ozuruigbo, who was declared winner in the exercise as two aspirants of the same party had gone to court claiming the ticket of the party.
Both Hon. Harrison Nwadike, a Lagos based business mogul and Mrs Doris Akugbuo, had approached the Federal High Court in Owerri, challenging the candidature of Hon. Ozuruigbo popularly known as OZB, who doubled as member and Deputy Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly.
It is pertinent to recall that while there was confusion and tussle within the APC on which of the three aspirants who had earlier canvassed on the platform of APC, was the authentic candidate, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), Hon. Kingsley Echendu, wrote petitions to the INEC Chairman, and copied the State Resident Electoral Commission and DSS, drawing their attention to the political confusion happening in APC as affects his federal constituency and it’s election.
However, with the last high court judgment, the issue seem to have been laid to rest, with the court quashing the victory of Ugonna Ozuruigbo, who had ridden on the back of Rochas Okorocha, to return to the Assembly in 2015.
