Protest in Abia over sacking of Senate minority whip by Appeal Court

Joseph Irikefe

Residents and members of the Abia State chapter of the Labour Party took to the streets of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, today to protest the sacking of Senate minority whip Darlington Nwokocha by the Appeal Court on Saturday.

A panel of the Appeal Court sitting in Lagos had declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), the winner of the February 25 senatorial election held in the senatorial district.

The party members who were adorned in black attire displayed placards describing the A’Court judgement as pervasive.

The group, led by the Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Augustine Meregini, marched from the party secretariat on Ikot Ekpene Road to Aba Road during the protest.

Some of the inscriptions on their placards read, ‘Judicial impunity must stop’; ‘we voted for Darlington Nwokocha and not Col. Austin Akobundu’, ‘Darlington’s mandate must be recovered.’

Addressing the party supporters, the party chairman in the state, Chief Ceekay Igara, said he wondered why the panel of the appeal that sacked Nwokocha also upheld the election of the member representing Isiala Ngwa North and South Federal Constituency, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, who had a similar case with him.

He said, “We are in shock about the judgement because Section 77 of the electoral act, where the panel relied on to deliver the judgment which dealt with the membership of a party has been decided by the Supreme Court as an internal affair of the political party.

“We are demanding for the details of the judgement to enable our lawyers to study and decide on the next line of action”.