Certificate of Return: Court of Appeal Okays Speedy Hearing of Okorocha’s Suit
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has commenced the speedy hearing of the suit by immediate past Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, seeking to be issued with certificate of return as senator-elect.
A three-member panel of justices on Monday unanimously approved the day-to-day hearing of the suit while striking out an appeal by the counsel to the APGA, Osita Izunaso, seeking to stay the proceedings of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The order of the panel presided by Justice Stephen Adah followed an application by counsel to APGA, Ani, to withdraw the application from being incompetent. Other parties did not object to the application, but counsel to Okorocha, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), asked the court to order accelerated hearing based on Rule 10 (C) of the court’s Practice Direction.
Justice Adah, however, ruled that “since we have been informed that the lower court has been hearing the case day-to-day, there is no need to order a fresh accelerated hearing. The day to day hearing as is presently done by the lower court is commendable and it should continue.”
Okorocha had filed the suit seeking to be issued with certificate of return as the winner of Imo West Senatorial election on the platform of the APC.
He had joined PDP candidate, Jones Onyeriri, and the APGA candidate, Osita Izunaso, in the suit.
Other defendants in the matter are INEC, Nwachukwu Goodluck Clement of KOWA Party; Uche Onyeoma Ibe of Labour Party; Precious Nwadike of the United Progressives Party (UPP) and the APGA are all challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.
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