Supreme Court ruling: It’s not too late for me to campaign and win – Achonu

Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, has called on the people to work for him as it is not late for him to campaign and win. Speaking to journalists on Thursday evening in Abuja, Achonu who was reacting to a Supreme Court […]

Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, has called on the people to work for him as it is not late for him to campaign and win.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday evening in Abuja, Achonu who was reacting to a Supreme Court judgement affirming his candidacy of the Labour Party and the leadership of the party led by Barrister Julius Abure said though the court case which was not about him was a distraction, he was optimistic in winning the election.

“With this, I want to call on the people of Imo State to remove all doubts and work for our success. I won a free and fair primary contest. I have been concentrating on my campaign. I want to make it clear to the Imo people that I am the candidate of the Labour Party and they should continue to campaign for me.

“I am making this call to the Imo people to come out and campaign and take back their state because of the distractions some people created. It is a simple matter that people can just call INEC and confirm the authentic person who is the candidate.

“Some people went to the Federal High Court; their cases were thrown out. They went for an appeal and the same thing happened. They went to the Supreme Court and the cases have finally been thrown out. Their cases have all been dismissed. They are seeking to confuse Imo people,” Achonu said.

 

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has celebrated the Supreme Court judgement dismissing an appeal brought before it by one Basil Maduka against the party over the rightful candidate of the party in the Imo State governorship election on the grounds of locus standi.

A panel of five justices led by Iyang Okoro also cautioned the appellant for abusing the court process and wasting the time of the courts all through from the lower courts.

Two other respondents in the matter were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Lamidi Apapa-led candidate, Joseph Ukaegbu, alias Ikenga, whose request to seek a consequential order was also rejected by the apex court.