By Charles Igbo
The hard-fighting Ifeanyi Ararume has finally lost the battle for the Imo North Senatorial seat. For him, on that seat, it is the end.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Friday, issued his competitor, Sir Frank Ibezim, with the Certificate of Return, CoR.
The seat became vacant on the death of Senator Ben Uwajimogu, APC. INEC conducted a by-election for the seat on December 5, 2020. But it declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner, without declaring any candidate the winner. It left for the Court the job of declaring who the APC candidate is, between Ararume and Ibezim. The two of them were laying claim to the ticket.
It was a hard fought legal battle. But a few days ago, a Panel of Supreme Court Justices declared Ibezim the rightful candidate. Yet, Ararume fought on, writing a letter to INEC to issue him with the CoR, based on an earlier judgement by a Federal High Court which declared him the candidate.
Many people found Ararume’s move absurd, a waste of money and time, as the Supreme Court judgement over-rode any other judgement.
Finally, on Friday, INEC dashed his hope, and issued Ibezim with the CoR.
However, it is not yet uhuru for Ibezim, as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Emma Okewulonu, is at the Election Tribunal laying claim to the ticket. He wants to be declared the winner, hinging his claim on earlier Court judgements which disqualified both Ibezim and Ararume from taking part in the By-election.
