Ebonyi PDP crisis: Ọnụ appeals ruling of Appeal Court ousting him, heads to Supreme Court

By Clement Nnachi (abakaliki)

A frontline  member of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) Mr Silas Onu, has appealed the ruling  of the Appeal court sacking him as the Ebonyi State Chairman of the party.

The Appellate Court in its judgement also restored Mr Tochukwu Okorie as the substantive Chairman of the party in the state.

Mr Silas Ọnụ who doubles as former Spokesperson of the PDP, in the notice of appeal raised two grounds for appeal.

Mr Ọnụ and Mr Tochukwu Okorie had contested for the Ebonyi State Chairmanship position of the party  held on October 16 2021.

Mr Okorie polled 1,240 votes to defeat Silas Onu, who scored 260 votes in the election.

Dissatisfied, Onu filed a suit challenging the process and listed the PDP and Mr Okorie as first and second defendants, respectively.

Onu prayed the court to rule whether or not Okorie qualified to contest in the October 16 election even after he did not submit his Nomination Form within the stipulated deadline.

The Federal High Court in Abuja agreed with him abd sacked Tochukwu Okorie as chairman.

Delivering ruling in the suit on April 13, 2021, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, the presiding judge, held that Okorie was not validly nominated to contest the election having submitted his nomination form on October 4, 2021, days after the October 1, 2021 deadline.

Justice Mohammed held that Okorie cannot be allowed to benefit from his wrongdoing

“It is the opinion of this court that the second defendant (Okorie) was indolent in submitting his nomination form as provided in the guidelines issued by the PDP,” the judge held.

“In spite of this failure, he was still returned and declared elected. He cannot be allowed to benefit from his wrongdoing.”

Consequently, the judge also directed the party to issue a certificate of return to Onu, declaring him as the duly elected chairman of PDP, Ebonyi chapter.

But Tochukwu Okorie appealed the decision at the Appellate court arguing that the matter is an internal matter which the lower court should not have entertained in the first place.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division on August 15  nullified and set aside the judgement of the lower court of April 13, 2022.

It, therefore, sacked Mr. Silas Onu as Chairman and restored Toochukwu Okorie as substantive Chairman of the party in the state.

Mr Ọnụ, is therefore urging the Supreme Court to grant an order allowing his appeal.

He is also seeking an order setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal entered on 15 August 2022.