By Comr. Eka A’adu Dickson Jnr.
I’m not a legal expert but the much I know is that the court is not a father Christmas hence it doesn’t give what one does not ask for. Wrong prayers herald defeat.
As an unbiased and neutral person, I felt I’m a good position to day the truth.
Ordinarily, one would’ve expected the most popular candidate of the 2019 House of Representatives election, Evang. David A. Ogewu to win gallantly but many mistakes robbed him of the most prestigious opportunity of a candidate. First, the decision of Ogewu and his supporters to hasten up the returning officer to do the declaration without Obi and Oboru results thinking that collation time has elapsed was a grave error as INEC does not have a stipulated duration for collation of result. Rivers and Bauchi Governorship elections as a case study.
When this matter got to the tribunal, I was expecting Ogewu to assemble a formidable legal team that could think better and argue better with sound argument about the Obi and Oboru results but surprisingly, I started seeing loud Facebook lawyers and legal prophets who joint the defence Council based on sentiment. For those who want to hear the truth and sought my analysis, I told them that Okwu has a better case at the tribunal than Ogewu and the best argument for Ogewu should be a prayer for the cancellation of Obi and Oboru results for a rerun or fresh election and if his Council argue to uphold his victory, he will lose. I stated that knowing fully well that Obi is part of the Oju/Obi Federal Constituency and their result must be added to that of Oju before a winner must emerge. I went further to inform them that if the elections for the Oju/Obi Federal Constituency are to be held a million times in a free and fair atmosphere, Ogewu will win hence the best argument for Ogewu should be a prayer for the outright cancellation of Obi and Oboru results particularly the prayer on the final written address. Even a drunkard Judge cannot uphold the declaration of a winner for the Oju/Obi Constituency without the input from Obi and I thought Ogewu’s lawyers would’ve understood that but surprisingly, the loud Facebook lawyers who are threatening to burn their certificates if Ogewu loses at the appeal court could not understand that. Rather, they prayed for the tribunal to uphold Ogewu’s victory without Obi and Oboru results which was not possible under the law as doing so would directly implied disenfranchising the entire Obi people in electing their representative or indirectly carving them out of the Constituency which no Judge may adduce to.
[Also read: “ITO CLAN CAN NOT COMPLAIN OF MARGINALIZATION” – Omi Ny’Igede President
If the prayers before the appeal court is to uphold Ogewu’s declaration as the winner with only Oju result then they should start burning their certificates but if the prayers is for the appeal court to cancel Obi and Oboru results because of crises and order a fresh election in the affected areas then Ogewu has a very strong case.
One major factor that leads to cancellation of election result is crises and that could be explained and established as to why Obi result was delayed and later taken to Otukpo and if a sound lawyer argue for the cancellation of Obi result, the tribunal Judges would’ve yielded to the prayer.
Those who are comparing cases of Ire and Igbor, David Mark and Young Alhaji, Oyetola and Adeleke must understand the differences in these cases.
I wish them luck in the appeal and may God gives Igede people the very best.
Eka A’adu Dickson Jnr is an Abuja based Entrepreneur, a Real Estate Consultant and a Manager
