A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Kubwa, Abuja, has sacked Ifeanyi Ubah as the senator representing Anambra south.
The presiding judge, Bello Kawu, in his ruling nullified Ubah’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him and to issue a fresh certificate to Obinna Uzoh, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the senator elect of the district.
Uzoh had filed a suit in 2019, challenging Ubah’s victory on the grounds that he (Ubah) presented an alleged forged National Examination Council (NECO) certificate to INEC. The court had given judgement innUzoh’s favour but Ubah approached the court to set aside the judgment, saying he was not given fair hearing.
According to him, he was neither served with the court process nor hearing notice in the suit, before the court delivered the judgment against him.
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Upon this, the judge ordered a stay of execution on December 4, restraining the senate president from swearing in Uzoh, pending the hearing and determination of the motion challenging the verdict.
However, in his ruling on Ubah’s application on Friday, the judge held that his application to vacate its judgment lacked merit, and accordingly it was dismissed.
Another motion brought by Chris Uba, claimant to the PDP senatorial ticket, seeking to be joined as an interested party in the substantive suit marked CV/3044/2018, was also dismissed.
