A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo state, has affirmed the election of Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state, ruling that the governor’s tax document were not forged.
Friday Nwosu, one of the governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia, had filed a tax forgery suit against Ikpeazu.
But the court dismissed the suit, saying Nwosu could not substantiate the claim that Ikpeazu’s documents were forged.
Nwosu had also argued that Federal High Court in Abuja erred in declaring Uche Ogah as governor-elect.
Ogah came second in the PDP primary.
It will be recalled that Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja penultimate Monday annulled the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State for allegedly submitting false information to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of the party’s governorship primary election in December 2014.
Justice Abang also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Uche Ogah, who contested the governorship ticket with Ikpeazu.
The Judge asked the electoral body to cease the Certificate of Return it issued to Governor Ikpeazu as he was never qualified to run for the party’s primaries as a governorship candidate.
Abang also asked that the Chief Judge of Abia State to swear in, Uche Ogah, Ikpeazu’s opponent in the PDP primaries for the December 2014 gubernatorial election in the state as the substantive governor of Abia State.
The court held that Ikpeazu was guilty of tax evasion and was therefore unqualified to have contested the 2015 governorship election in Abia State.
The court also ordered the governor to vacate office immediately, and hand over to Ogah, owner of Masters Energy, who came second in the PDP governorship primaries in Abia State.
It will be recalled that two members of the PDP had accused governor Ikpeazu of failing to pay personal income tax promptly as and when due for 2010 and 2011 in line with Section 24(f) of the 1999 Constitution.
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