The governor-elect of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday, escaped from being stopped to be sworn-in come March, 2022.
This is after the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, declined to nullify his election.
In a judgement delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, the court dismissed a suit that sought to void Soludo’s election on the allegation that he supplied false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Plaintiffs, Adindu Valentine and Egwudike Chukwuebuka, had in their suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/711/2021, alleged that Soludo lied in the affidavit (Form EC9), which he submitted to INEC.
They claimed that Soludo, in the said affidavit attached to his nomination form, stated that he was contesting the Aguata 2 Constituency seat, when, in fact, he was contesting the governorship seat.
More so, they told the court that an affidavit Soludo’s running mate and Deputy Governor-elect, Onyeka Ibezim, also submitted to INEC, contained false particulars considering that he stated that he was vying for Awka 2 Constituency seat.
However, Justice Taiwo dismissed the preliminary objection challenging the competence of the suit and jurisdiction of the court to hear it, and held that the Plaintiffs, failed to establish that they had a reasonable cause of action.
The court then awarded N2million in favour of Soludo, Ibezim and APGA
Justice Taiwo held that the Plaintiffs failed to convince the court on how the alleged false information both Soludo and Ibezim supplied to INEC, misled them.
The court held that since the allegation by the Plaintiffs were also criminal in nature, it ought to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
It held that the suit was filed in bad faith and a good example of cases that are not geared towards strengthening of the tenets of democracy in the country.
