The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Senator Ifeanyi Ararume a certificate of return within 72 hours, having been declared as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Imo North senatorial bye-election held on December 5, 2020.
In his ruling, Justice Taiwo Taiwo said Ararume remained the winner of the election going by the earlier judgments of the court.
According to him, with regard to the Appeal Court judgment in Abuja, the third defendant (Chukwuma Ibezim) remained disqualified.
The judge earlier in a ruling dismissed Ibezim’s application seeking a stay of the judgment, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the Supreme Court.
Justice Taiwo, who described the application as “an attempt to arrest the judgment,” dismissed it for lacking in merit.
Ibezim and Araraume had fielded themselves as APC candidates prior to the election.
Although INEC had declared APC winner of the bye-election, the commission did not return a candidate from the party.
INEC hinged its decision on what it described as “several court orders” for and against the two major contenders.
