HDP vs Obi: Court reserves ruling

The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has reserved ruling in the case brought before it by the Hope Democratic Party, challenging the qualification of Governor Peter Obi to stand for February 6, 2010 Anambra State governorship election on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance.

With this development, the appellate court would now rule on Thursday, May 26, 2011 whether it would set aside its earlier judgment of February 24, 2011, especially in the court’s inadvertent failure to consider the issue of Obi’s qualification to run for the election.

Before adjourning the case, number CA/EPT/5/2010, the five-man panel, led by Justice Amina Augie, on Monday listened to counsels to the HDP and Anambra State governor.

Arguing the grounds of his appeal for the setting aside of the appeal court’s judgment of February 24, 2011, Mr. Mike Okoye, the HDP counsel, relying on his application of March 15, 2011, supported with an 18- paragraph affidavit and a further affidavit of March 18, 2011, averred that the judgment was null and void.

Okoye noted that the court failed to judge, pronounce on the appellants’ main grounds of appeal.

The HDP counsel insisted that the main complaint made by the party in the appeal was that the weight of evidence before the electoral tribunal against the issues should have resulted in a favourable judgment, rather than that recorded by the tribunal.