ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Reactions have trailed the suit filed by Chief Ogochukwu Onyema, a legal practitioner and an aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the Enugu West Senatorial District in the 2019 general election, against Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the former Deputy Senate President.
Onyema in the suit filed at the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu, prayed the Court to declare the seat of the Enugu West Senatorial District in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly currently occupied by Senator Ekweremadu vacant.
Reacting to the suit, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide described Onyema’s action as satanic.
The National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, in a statement on Thursday, described it as satanic for anyone to file such a suit against the lawmaker in the face of his current challenges.
Okwu said, “We find it agonizing that any human being could come up with this kind of satanic and acidic suit against Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
“It is even more cruel coming at a time when it has been revealed that Senator Ekweremadu is facing health challenges in detention. One expects any person with conscience to empathize with the lawmaker in the face of these challenges.
“As an Enugu West man whom Ekweremadu is representing, he has never shown sympathy since Ekweremadu started going through all these difficulties.
“The only thing he could do was to institute a court case against Ekweremadu. This reconfirms our fear that the enemies are within. So many people have a hand on what befell Ekweremadu, but man is not God
“We call on the plaintiff to immediately withdraw that suit for the sake of posterity and human conscience. Nobody is immune to health challenges, it can happen to any other person.
“Barr. Ogochukwu Onyema should without wasting time withdraw the satanic suit if indeed he is a true Igbo man, who are known to be their brother’s keeper.”
Reacting also, an Enugu-based legal practitioner, Evang. Chinenye Orji, faulted Onyema, saying the lawsuit flies in the face of the laws of Nigeria, including the Electoral Act, noting that Section 68 of the Constitution expressly lists the grounds and processes for declaring a Senator’s seat vacant.
According to Orji, even if a vacancy occurs for any reason, the seat wouldn’t be inherited by anybody, as Section 76 of the Constitution provides that INEC must conduct a fresh election within 30 days to fill such vacancy.
He said none of these applies to the Senatorial, as he had not been absent for no just cause or for one-thirds of the total number of sitting of the Senate in 2022.
“A year is 365 days, but remember that the Senate sits for only three days in a week, that is from Tuesday to Thursday. Ekweremadu was arrested in the UK around 22nd June and Senate on recess in July and returned on 20th September.
“Besides, Onyema placed third in the said primary, not second and even if he came second, he would still not inherit Enugu West seat because the Constitution Section 76 of the 1999 provides that where a vacancy exists in the National Assembly, such vacancy shall be filled within 30 days vide an election on a date to be appointed by INEC.
“Also, the Electoral Act 2022 provides that you cannot occupy an elective position without participating in all the processes leading to the election. So, did O.A.U Onyema contest the senatorial election in 2019? The answer is ‘No’.
“We know Onyema has always wanted to be in the Senate, being a perennial senatorial aspirant. But must not be through the backdoor,” Orji said.