Labour Party Reacts To Judgment Sacking Senate Minority Whip, Nwokocha

The Abia State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has refused to accept the court’s decision which removed Darlington Nwokocha as the Senator representing Abia Central in the National Assembly.

Abia State LP Chairman, Ceekay Igara, made this known at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, the state capital, while addressing journalists on Sunday evening after the court judgment.

Expressing the party’s disappointment with the outcome of the court, Igara said that the judiciary is always expected to be the last hope of the common man, but has failed to defend the votes of the people of Abia Central.

Igaran stated that the case falls under Section 77 of the Constitution, which is beyond judicial review, adding that there are a plethora of judgments from the Supreme Court, which bars adjudication on political party internal affairs.

The party chairman expressed, “The Labour Party in Abia State is deeply concerned about the recent judgment from the appeal court, which is one of the most crucial democratic institutions responsible for dispensing justice without any bias.”

While expressing shock over what it described as the rascality of the judiciary, he explained, “The ruling that reversed the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal’s dismissal of Amobi Ogah’s election as the representative of Isikwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency in Abia State in Umuahia was based on Section 77 of the Constitution.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Nwokocha as the winner of the election with a total of 92,116 votes.

But Augustine Akobundu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with 41,477 votes, challenged the declaration in court and was declared winner by the Court of Appeal.