The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital has struck out the suit brought before it by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the April 2015 governorship election in the state, Emeka Ihedioha.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Jimmy Bada picked holes in the manner the respondents were served and which according to Court of Appeal procedures is fundamental and thereby struck out the case.
However, both counsels differed over the ruling. While the counsel to APC and Governor Rochas Okorocha, Militus Nlemedim applauded the ruling, his PDP counterpart, Mike Ahamba expressed surprise that the Court of Appeal suddenly adopted a new mode of service to respondents and quickly indicated readiness to approach the Supreme Court.
After the governorship election which experienced some rescheduled polls, the incumbent, Rochas Okorocha, was declared winner. Since then, his closest challenger who was the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, had made attempts to upturn the result of the election. The latest judgment of the Court of Appeal is the second in the process.
