Abia State Governorship crisis turned dramatic yesterday as two divisions of the same court gave conflicting orders on the fate of the embattled Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. While a Federal High Court Abuja which had on June 27 sacked the Governor from office held that he remained sacked until a higher court decides otherwise, another Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo state ruled that Ikpeazu was validly elected and he therefore remains the Governor. Interestingly, both courts relied on the same tax receipts presented before them by Governor Ikpeazu which was alleged to have been forged.
At the resumed hearing yesterday of the suit challenging Ikpeazu’s eligibility to contest the primaries of the Peoples’ Democratic Pary, PDP filed by Mr Uche Ogah, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, declined to hear an application for stay of execution of the June 27 judgment that sacked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from office.
The Judge said he no longer had jurisdiction to decide Ikpeazu’s application for stay of execution since the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal is already seized with facts of the case. Consequently, he directed both Ikpeazu and the beneficiary of the judgment, Mr. Uche Ogah, to go to the appellate court for the resolution of the Governorship logjam in Abia State.
