Appeal Court Sacks Araraume, Replaces Him With Ibezim

The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, has sacked Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo North by-election.

Naija News reports that the Imo North by-election is set to hold on Saturday, December 5, in the 64 wards across six Local Government Areas in the state.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, declared Frank Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the APC ahead of the election.

He also kicked against the decision of a Federal High Court to sack Ibezim and announced Araraume on November 6, 2020.

Justice Onyemenam directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately enlist Ibezim’s name as the candidate of the party for tomorrow’s by-election.

He said that the revalidation of the candidacy of Ibezim was in tandem with the electoral act, having won the APC primary election in September.

Meanwhile, this online news platform reports that Chukwuma Francis Ibezim has been disqualified by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Naija News reports that Justice Inyang Ekwo disqualified Ibezim in a judgment on Friday on a suit marked:FHC/ABJ/CS/1229/2020 filed by Asomugha Tony Elebeke, with Ibezim, APC and INEC as defendants.

Ekwo stated that the APC candidate was disqualified Ibezim from contesting the election on the grounds that he made false statements/declarations in the affidavit and documents he submitted to the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wherein he presented falsified and uncertified photocopies of West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

The judge found that the WASC certificate Ibezim submitted “bears two different and irreconcilable names – Ibezim Chukwuma Frank and Ibezim Francis Chukwuma.”