Court stops Abia Chief Judge, others from swearing in Ogah as Governor

The Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, on Thursday obtained a motion-exparte from the High Court of the state restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from issuing a Certificate of Return to Mr. Uche Ogah, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

The order of injunction also restrained the Chief Judge of Abia State or any other judge of the court from swearing in Ogah as governor while Ikpeazu remains in office.

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Monday asked INEC to issue the Certificate of Return issued to Ogah, ruling that on the account of fake tax returns filed during the primaries, Mr Ikpeazu, ab initio was never qualified to run in the PDP primaries as a governorship candidate.

Following this order, INEC on Thursday issued a Certificate of Return to Ogah, who came second at the last Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primaries in Abia State.