ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Sam Onuigbo, a member representing Ikwuano/Umuhia North/South in the House of Representatives, has expressed optimism that he would win the Abia Central senatorial seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmaker had alleged that his name had been illegally removed as the authentic candidate and substituted with that of Emeka Atuma.
Onuigbo further claimed that Atuma did not even participate in the primary election of the party.
He had asked an Abuja High Court to restrain his party from substituting his name for the 2023 general election.
He also sued the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Emeka Atuma as first, second and third defendants respectively over the alleged substitution of his name with another.
The suit, dated 21 June and initially marked HC/ABJ/CS/963/2022 was filed on Onuigbo’s behalf by his counsel, Emeka Obelogu.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, transferred the suit to Justice Evelyn Anyadike of Federal High Court, Umuahia Division, under suit number: FHC/ABJ/UM/CS/113/2022.
Onuigbo sought an order of court nullifying the alleged unilateral substitution of his name as the validly elected candidate for that of Atuma, who he said never participated in the primary election of the APC for the Abia Central senatorial district held between May 28 and 29.
However, Onuigbo told journalists in Abuja, that he has the confidence that his mandate would be restored despite Atuma’s name appearing on the list of candidates released by the INEC last Tuesday.
He said: “We are in court. The final one is not out yet despite the list of candidate. I am very optimistic because Atuma did not win the election. He did not do election.
“He did not do primary election. So they are trying to substitute his name shamelessly. That was when they did the election on June 7 which was the day we started the process of electing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our presidential candidate here in Abuja.
“So is anybody now saying that they removed the delegates for Abia Central and did primaries for Atuma and then let Abia North and Abia South to go to Abuja? It is not possible. It did not happen. So they used their own hands to forge the document and say they did election on June 7.”