The Supreme Court has fixed January 18, 2018 to hear and determine a case
of submission of false information and fake tax documents against Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
Abia State, Sir Friday Nwosu.
The Supreme Court yesterday granted Nwosu’s application by motion on
notice to abridge the time within which the respondents are to file their
briefs at the Supreme Court in defence of the suit.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that with this order of the Supreme Court, the
respondents; PDP, INEC, Ikpeazu and Uche Ogah were given 14 days from to
file and serve their respective briefs of argument while Nwosu has 7 days
to file his reply brief if need be.
The case was adjourned to January 18 for hearing and determination.
Nwosu who contested for the December 8, 2014 PDP governorship primaries in
Abia State has sued Dr Okezie Ikpeazu since January 2015 claiming that the
governor presented false Information and fake tax documents to INEC in
respect of his PAYE tax documents as well as other pieces of False
Information in INEC Form CF 001 which Dr Ikpeazu completed and signed
under oath, contrary to Section 31(5) (6) of the 2010 Electoral Act, as
amended.
It was gathered that a section of the Electoral Act provides that the
Court shall make orders disqualifying a person who as a candidate
presented false information to INEC in his nomination form or documents in
support of such nomination form.
The Supreme Court had on May 12, 2017, in its judgment in the consolidated
appeals judgment in SC717/2016, SC719/2016 and SC739/2016, Uche Ogah vs
Ikpeazu; Ogah v PDP and Nwosu v Ogah; held that whenever a Court makes the
finding that Ikpeazu presented false information to INEC either in his
Form CF 001 or any other documents accompanying his nomination Form, for
the purpose of contesting the 2015 governorship election in Abia State,
then Section 31(6) of the Electoral Act shall apply.