Hon Chijioke Edeoga, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State, has reacted to Friday’s Appeal Court judgement which quashed his appeal to nullify the election of Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State. Mba is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The three-man panel of judges sitting in Lagos had upheld Mba’s election.
Edeoga, through Mr George Ugwu, spokesman, Edeoga/Nwokeabia Campaign Organisation, said the party would appeal the ruling.
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According to him, “The Edeoga/Nwokeabia Campaign organization received with shock and disappointment the judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on the petition of the Enugu State chapter of the Labour Party and its candidate in the March 18 Governorship Election in the state, Hon Chijioke Edeoga.
“Our lawyers present at the court have briefed the party and the candidate and the way forward determined. They have been instructed to explore the constitutional rights of appeal to the Supreme Court, while we continue to engage the human conscience to uphold what is right and just and what will, in the end, help reignite the blinking and fading embers of our humanity as Nigerians.
“We thank the great people of Enugu State and all our supporters worldwide for their steadfastness and enduring love. We enjoin them to remain peaceful, law-abiding, prayerful and purposefully expectant of victory in the end.”
Meanwhile, Gov Mba, Friday night, celebrated his victory in court. The celebration, held at the Government House, saw his supporters gather.
Mba stated that, “The judgement of the appellate court is consistent with an earlier dismissal of the same matter filed before the Enugu State Election Petitions Tribunal.
“Both judgments are consistent and in line with the mandate freely given to us by the great people of Enugu State in the March 18 gubernatorial election. They further reaffirmed our belief in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.
“This judgment reaffirms my belief and trust in the irrevocable will of the judiciary. I want to use this opportunity to commend the justices of the Court of Appeal for standing firmly by the sacredness of the temple of justice.”
He thanked the people of Enugu State for their endurance in the face of ‘palpable untruth purveyed just to paint their government black’, adding that, “With this judgement, we are going to deploy more energy and commitment to bring development to the doorsteps of Ndi Enugu. This is not a victory for Peter Mbah as governor, it is a victory for water that will run nonstop through taps of Enugu homes in less than 20 days.
“It is also a victory that will make Enugu State a road construction site, and we are talking about the length and breadth of Enugu State being transformed into a road construction site. It is also a victory that would ensure that we have smart schools across the 260 wards of Enugu State.”