Ozigbo Kicks As Court Affirms Ukachukwu APC Gov. Candidate

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The hope of Dr Valentine Ozigbo of flying the flag of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in the Anambra State off-circle Governorship contest billed for November, 8, 2025, faded on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, following a court decision affirming the candidacy of Nicholas Ukachukwu.

The Source reports that Ozigbo, a former ally of Peter Obi the Labour Party, LP, 2023, Presidential candidate, was  roundly trounced by Ukachukwu in the APC primaries held on April 5,2025.

Dissatisfied, Ozoigbo who only defected to the APC from his LP abode a few weeks before the primaries, had approached the court seeking a reversal.

He alleged, among other things, that his rival, Prince Ukachukwu, as at the time of the primary election was not  eligible to contest on account of non-validation of his membership of the party.

However, while delivering judgment, the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, held that even though there were noticable discrepancies worthy of concern in the documents presented by Ukachukwu, there is little or nothing the Court could do about the situation.

Justice Anyadike further ruled that the applicant did not adduce sufficient and conclusive evidence to prove that the respondent was not qualified to be part of the primary contest .

Besides, the trial Judge, held that the Court, going by the law, does not have the power to meddle into the internal affairs of political parties by substituting one candidate with another.

“The court cannot interfere in the internal matters of a political party where the plaintiff has not provided incontrovertible proof of the date of membership, nor shown that the party acted outside its constitutional powers”.

Consequently, the court while affirming the candidacy of Ukachukwu , dismissed Ozoigbo’s application on grounds of lacking in merit.

But reacting to the Court ruling, an obviously distraught and disappointed Ozoigbo informed that he will make known his next step after consulting with the legal team.

However, there are strong indications that the former LP chieftain is not ready yet to let go.

“We are consulting with our lawyers, and will decide on our next step soon. I am not fighting this case for myself, I am doing so for Ndi Anambra. I am fighting also to protect the soul of democracy, and I can assure you that this is far from being over.

This case was not just about forms-filling and documentations. It was about principle. It was about saying no to criminality. Unfortunately, the court today “blinked”. Ozigbo stated.