Imo PDP rejects sack of two House of Rep members

The Imo state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday rejected the verdict of the Imo Sate National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal which sacked the House of Representatives members for the Ideato North/South federal constituency and Okigwe South Federal constituency, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Jonas Okeke, respectively.

The legal adviser of the Imo PDP, Kissinger Ikeokwo, made this known to newsmen in Owerri while reacting to the judgement of the tribunal last Sunday. 

His reason was that the sack of their members would not stand because the grounds upon which the tribunal delivered its judgement had been decided by the apex court in the country. And that it was contrary to the position of the supreme court on internal party affairs. 

In his submission, Ikeokwo, cited the ruling of the Supreme Court in a party internal affairs that “A political party that files a suit to challenge the nomination of the candidate of another party will be a nosy busybody, a meddlesome interloper, peeping into the affairs of his neighbor without any backing in law. No court of law can entertain such a suit.”

He said it was surprising, “The Election Petition Tribunal would venture into an internal party issues that borders on pre-election after the Apex court had dismissed such similar case previously. He recalled that; “Even Appeal Court followed the decision in its recent Presidential Election Petition Court, when the Justices reaffirmed the decision of the Supreme Court that a political party has no right to question the process of nomination of another political party as it lacks the locus standi to litigate such matter.”

Also, the state Acting Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mazi Emenike Nmeregini, added on the alleged illegal arrest of their members saying: “The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party vehemently objects to the incessant harassment, intimidation, illegal arrest and detention of party members, media Practitioners working for PDP and attempt to abduct or arrest some Directors of Media and other Directorates of our Campaign Council by operatives of the Nigeria Police in the state allegedly loyal to Governor Hope Uzodinma. These acts of intimidation and incarceration of the people at the least provocation have become daily experience, aimed at cowing Ndiimo, particularly members of the press and opposition PDP for purely political reasons.

“A couple of months back, some state officers of the party were invited to the state police command for interrogations over alleged libellous statements by the party. That matter has unduly been protracted without end, even when it is quite clear that it is diversionary and has no substance.

“Penultimate week, in a Gestapo style, officers of the Nigeria Police invaded the residence of some of our party members and arrested one Mark Chisom, while others who were on duty call as at the time of the police invasion evaded arrest.