Former PDP Chair, Ogbulafor hails Appeal Court's judgment on Gov Ikpeazu reinstatement

Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has hailed the judgment of the Court of Appeal which reversed the sack Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

Ogbulafor told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) in Umuahia on Saturday that the Appeal judgment, ``to me, is great, simply and fantastic’’.

He said that the judgment, which set aside the June 27 judgment of Justice Okon Abang sacking Ikpeazu from office ``has restored the integrity of the judiciary’’.

``It reaffirmed the common adage that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man," he said.

He said that many Nigerians and PDP members were alarmed by the verdict of Abang.

Ogbulafor, who is an advocate of power shift to Abia south senatorial district in the 2015 polls, faulted Abang's judgment.

According to him, ``a sound judgment should have many tripods’’ upon which it could stand, such as ``fairness, unity of the people, equity and justice’’.

He argued that the judgment that sacked Ikpeazu, who was elected in the spirit of ``equity, fairness, justice and continued unity among the people’’, did not consider the tripods.

Ogbulafor also decried the speed with which the Independent National Electoral Commission issued the Certificate of Return to Dr Uche Ogah.

He said, ``and to worsen the case, INEC gave a certificate of return to somebody who did not contest the primary, without waiting for the mandatory 21days for Ikpeazu to appeal the judgment’’.

He said that the series of suits challenging the election of the governor since his assumption of office had distracted him from providing the dividend of democracy to the people.

Ogbulafor said that the PDP committee set up to reconcile aggrieved aspirants back to the party after the primaries made entreaties to all the aspirants, including Ogah.

As the chairman of the reconciliation committee, he regretted that the advice to some of the aggrieved persons did not yield the desired result.

``I even used myself as an example, when I told them how I contested the governorship election twice and lost.

``And when my bishop and other prominent Abia indigenes came to me to withdraw my suit challenging the election of Chief Orji Kalu, I did so without collecting a dime.

``I remained calm and God later elevated me to become a minister and national chairman of PDP," he said, pointing out that ``power comes from God’’.

Ogbulafor, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of PDP, expressed the confidence that the party would get over the current leadership crisis at the national level before 2019.

He appealed to the warring factions to sheath their sword in the interest of the party and vision of its founding fathers.

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Appeal Court Ruling: Okezie Ikpeazu Remains Abia Governor for Now

The appeal court of appeal in Abuja has postponed an appeal filed by Okezie Ikepeazu, governor of Abia state, challenging a federal high court judgement. 

An appeal filed by the embattled Abia State Governor Okezie Ikepeazu, challenging a federal high court judgement that declared him unfit to hold office, has just been postponed by the court of appeal sitting today in Abuja.

 

According to TheCable News, the decision of the court to postpone the appeal of Ikepeazu to August 9 was due to the submission of Friday Iwunzo, the 5th respondent, that he had equal rights to be part of the suit filed by ‎Uche Ogah.

 

The 5-man panel, which did not earlier recognise Iwunzo as part of the suit, said Ikpeazu remains governor till August 4, when Iwunzo’s suit will now be heard.

 

Recall that Uche Sampsom Ogar, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, had contended that the governor evaded tax prior to his election, and as such was‎ not qualified to hold an elective office.

 

It was on this basis that, ‎Okon Abang, the presiding judge, of the high court gave the judgment declaring Ikepeazu unfit to hold office.

 

Meanwhile, Alex Iziyon, counsel to Ogar, in his submission at the appeal court, said Ikepeazu may not be described as the “legal” occupant of the Abia government house following judgements from other courts on the matter.

 

Iziyon explained that if he agreed to sign an undertaking recognising Ikepeazu as governor, pending when the court rules on the matter, other meanings maybe read to it.

 

Wole Olanipekun, counsel to Ikepeazu, on his part, said he also had his own “grievances” in the appeal but he would abide by whatever the court says.

 

However, both parties signed the undertaking.

 

The court declared that Ikepeazu remains the governor of Abia state, pending the ruling of the court.

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Uche Ogah Declared Abia Governor as Court Sacks Okezie Ikpeazu

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has ruled that Okezie Ikpeazu, the Abia State governor, was not qualified to hold the office and also ordered the Chief Judge of the state to swear in Uche Ogah, his opponent in the December 2014 guber election. 

At the Federal High Court sitting today in Abuja, Justice Okon Abang, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cede the certificate of return to the opponent of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state as he was never qualified to run for the party primaries in the People's Democratic party (PDP) as a guber candidate.

 

The judge also ordered the Chief Judge of the state to swear in, Uche Ogah, his opponent in the December 2014 gubernatorial election in state as the substantive governor of Abia state. The judge ruled that on the account of fake tax returns during the primaries, and that Dr. Ikpeazu was never qualified to run in the primaries.

 

Below is a brief profile of Uche Ogah - the probable governor of Abia state.

 

Uchechukwu S. Ogah (born 22 December 1969) is a Nigerian oil magnate, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. Ogah is the President of Master Energy Group, a conglomerate with over 15 subsidiaries and interests across a variety of industries. Ogah holds the Nigerian national honour, the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).

 

Early life and Education

 

Ogah was born to Chief Wilson and Ezinne Pauline Ogah of Onuaku Uturu, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State.

 

Ogah attended Ishiagu High School, after which he worked at West African Examination Council (WAEC) from 1986–89, before he proceeded to the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu State where he obtained Upper Credit at Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in 1992 and Distinction at the Higher National Diploma (HND) Level in 1995 in Accounting.

 

He also attended University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in 2005. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree (Banking and Finance) from Ogun State University and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Lagos. 

 

He obtained his ACA in 2007. He is a Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); Fellow, Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria; Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Shipping; Fellow, Employment & Career and member, Chartered Institute of Bankers.

 

 

Career

 

Ogah began his career as a banker with a year of National Youth Service year at NAL Bank Plc. Thereafter, he took up full employment at All States Trust Bank where he worked for around two years before joining Zenith Bank in 1997. At Zenith Bank, he set a record of growing a new branch from zero balance sheets to over N9 billion and rose to the position of an Assistant General Manager (AGM) in Zenith Bank. He resigned in 2007 to pursue a career in entrepreneurship.

 

Business Concern

 

As he left Zenith bank, Ogah founded Master Energy Group. Ogah is currently the President of Master Energy Group – a conglomerate with workforce of about 42,000 with interests in oil & gas, banking, insurance, aviation, shipping, dredging, logistics, construction, travel services, and power.

 

Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited has grown into a conglomerate with investments worth tens of billions of naira. At a time when investors were exiting the Niger Delta because its security challenges, Masters Energy City invested billions of naira in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. As single investment, a 158,000 tonne petroleum products storage facility provided direct employment to over 600 citizens of the Niger Delta region, and over 4,000 ancillary positions.

 

In December 2011, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore A. Orji, laid the foundation stone of Masters Energy Industrial City in Isikwuato. This industrial complex is expected to grow the economy of Abia State by attracting investment from across Africa.

Awards and Recognition

 

In 2014, Ogah was awarded, a national award - the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal government of Nigeria

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Rivers APC hails Apex Court's verdict over Wike's Dismissal

Mr Chris FineBone, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the apex court had affirmed that the tribunal’s sitting was moved to Abuja because of insecurity.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict on Gov. Nyesom Wike’s application challenging the relocation of the Rivers Election Petitions Tribunal from Port Harcourt to Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Apex Court had dismissed Wike’s suit challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to hear the petition of APC’s governorship candidate in the April 11 poll, Dakuku Peterside.

Mr Chris FineBone, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the apex court had affirmed that the tribunal’s sitting was moved to Abuja because of insecurity.

"As a party, the APC is grateful that all seven eminent jurists of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that there was sufficient violence before, during and after the elections to justify the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja.’’

It also commended the reason for the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja which was to safeguard the lives of the tribunal chairman, members and witnesses.

The statement said that the party was happy with the observation of the court that Rivers State was "a theatre of war’’ and as such protection of lives of members of the panel and interested parties was paramount.

The APC also noted with satisfaction that the justices for once again re-affirmed that they were always ready to dispense justice without fear or favour.

"The significance of all seven eminent justices of the Supreme Court speaking in one voice in today’s judgment is that the faith, hope and confidence of the ordinary Nigerian to get justice is assured in the Nigerian judicial system.’’

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