Former presidential aide and Arise Television’s Morning Show anchor, Dr Reuben Abati, has reacted to the court judgement nullifying Governor Hope Uzodimma’s candidacy for the Imo West Senatorial District election, saying the legal battle is not over.
Abati said the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had indicated its intention to challenge the judgement at the Court of Appeal.
He spoke on Friday during Arise Television’s Morning Show while analysing the controversy surrounding the court decision.
The former presidential aide said the Imo APC had raised questions bordering on Section 285 of the Constitution, particularly the provision requiring pre-election cases to be instituted within 14 days.
According to him, the party argued that Senator Rochas Okorocha, who challenged Uzodimma’s candidacy, failed to institute the action within the constitutionally prescribed period.
Abati, however, said it would be premature to make definitive comments on the judgement without examining its full details.
He noted that the appellate court would have the opportunity to examine issues relating to procedure, timing, technicalities and the evidence presented before the lower court.
He said, “So the matter is not ended yet. They will go to the Appeal Court, and then, the Appeal Court will be able to look at the issues either about procedure, about timing, about technicality, about evidence, how evidence was filed, and whether the procedure should have been originating summons or another thing.
“That’s the purpose of an Appeal Court.”
Abati also raised a question over the circumstances surrounding the judgement, asking whether the situation amounted to what some people described as the ‘voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau’.
He, however, cautioned against making speculative claims about possible external influence on the judiciary.
“Finally on that subject is the fact this is the voice of Jacob and the hand Esau, without putting on the table the implications of that caveat, because I’ve seen some people saying there are questions to be raised about some people having powers over the judiciary. But we cannot speculate in that regard,” he said.
Abati maintained that the legal arguments raised by the Imo APC would have to be determined through the appellate process rather than speculation about the judgement.