Amobi Ogah, the representative for Isiukwuato Umunneochi federal constituency of Abia State in the House of Representatives, has firmly contested the recent tribunal judgment that called for his removal from his seat in the Green Chamber.
This pivotal decision was reached by the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which convened in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, on a significant Wednesday. The tribunal, in its ruling, nullified Amobi Ogah’s election under the banner of the Labour Party.
Contrastingly, it upheld the victory of Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the former deputy Chief Whip of the House and the incumbent Minister of State for Labour, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the rightful winner of the National Assembly seat.
But in his reaction, the lawmaker vowed to appeal the judgement of the tribunal as soon as he conclude consultation with his lawyers, expressing confidencethe appellate court would upturn the subsisting verdict.
Ogah in a statement said: “My attention has been drawn to the ruling of the election tribunal sitting in Umuahia, over my victory at the National Assembly polls “I want to state categorically and for the records that, I will appeal the judgment by the tribunal as soon as I conclude with my legal team.
“My opponent, whom I know, did not win the election and the judge cannot announce a result presented by the petitioner as concrete against the result presented by INEC. With the benefit of hindsight, this bizarre outcome is not totally strange as we had seen tendencies of clear compromise by the panel who discarded all known principles governing election adjudication and enunciated their own principles.
“Indeed, manifestation of it was writ large at the adoption of final addresses wherein the current Attorney General of of the Federation- Lateef Fagbemi SAN made comments suggesting underhand dealings with the Chairman of the Panel.
“I want to use this medium to call on my constituents who voted me, knowing my capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to them, to be calm law and abiding as I appeal the judgment delivered by the tribunal.”
The Chairman, House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, argued that he scored a total of 11,769 votes against his opponent who got a total of 8,752 votes, describing the judgement as miscarriage of justice, fairness and objectivity.
“Just to let the public know that the constituency I represent in the House is fully on ground to cater for her people and no amount of distraction will make me lose focus from delivering promises made to my people. The will and wish of the people that came out en mass to vote me in is not in doubt, hence my prompting to challenge the judgement.
“One wonders why a minister already serving after a woeful defeat at the Feb, 25th National Assembly poll could still be making frantic efforts to unseat the popular wish of the people in the electoral victory of labor party and it’s candidate.
“I am however confident that her desperation and mischievous attempt to scuttle the will of the people would be upturned by the justices of the appellate Court,” he said.
