To the victor belong the responsibilities (Al Bernstein)
We've not done everything, but we've done something, and shall continue to do more (Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu)
There are no winners and there are no losers in the election tribunal verdict of yesterday. Please, I beg of every Abian with any sense of patriotism, regardless of party affiliation, to come join us to help build the Abia State of our dream. Long live Abia State! Long live Nigeria! (Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu)
he Supreme Court sitting in Abuja has upheld the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State. The Court on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, declared Governor Ikpeazu the duly elected governor of Abia State, thereby overruling the judgment of the Appeal Court that declared Dr. Alex Otti of APGA the winner of the election.
A seven-man bench presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously affirmed the governor's election, after upholding his appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Owerri that had ordered his removal from office. Justice ?Sulaiman Galadima, ?who delivered the lead judgment, said there was merit in the appeal that was lodged by both Ikpeazu and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Apex Court said that it will give reasons for its judgment on February 26. The decision of the Court of Appeal panel, on December 31, 2015, that ordered the removal of the governor from office and the immediate swearing in of Dr. Alex Otti almost catapulted the state into anarchy, if not for the matured way the government of Abia State and the Elders of Ukwa Ngwa, led by Senator Wabara, Chief Adaelu and others, handled the situation, by urging the aggrieved citizens to desist from taking the laws into their hands.
I knew right from the start that the Appeal Court judgment against Okezie Ikpeazu won't stand, as no court can disenfranchise about 400,000 people just like that and gets away with it. It's elating that the Supreme Court has overturned that judgment that almost made the state to sink to perdition. That Appeal Court judgment caused an awful lot of harm, as the day the judges chose to deliver their judgment was a wrong one. Imagine how many people that judgment spoilt their New Year's Eve? It ruined mine of course!
This Supreme Court judgment is a desiderata for Abia State: By this judgment, the truth and rule of law have been upheld; by this judgment, the Supreme Court has guaranteed a peaceful society for the citizens of the state, because, a contrary verdict would have unleashed anarchy or pandemonium in the state; by this judgment, Abia State will continue to be in good and safe hands which have been performing well despite the economic downturn in Nigeria; by this judgment, the Justices of the Apex Court defended democracy through their wealth of experience; by this judgment, the Supreme Court restored the votes of those who were disenfranchised, and the votes of Okezie Ikpeazu, his family and that of his late mother, who were priorly disenfranchised by the ruling of the Appeal Court in Owerri, now count; by this verdict, the Supreme Court has resuscitated our sagging hope in Nigerian judiciary as a custodian of our democracy and the last hope of the common man, and has also upheld the sanctity of the ballot box; the Supreme Court, by its judgment, validated, consolidated and restored the will and mandate of the people which the Appeal Court in Owerri wanted to steal.
Let me thank the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, and the other six Justices, for being true heroes of Nigerian democracy. With them, there's hope on the horizon that today and tomorrow will be better for Nigerian judiciary and people. I hope the Chief Justice will sanitize the stinking judiciary and weed out the undesirable elements on the bench. People such as the five judges of the Appeal Court in Owerri have nothing good to offer to the Nigerian judiciary, and their continued stay on the bench should be reviewed, as they are debasing the already soiled Nigerian judiciary the more. The Chief justice should "purify" the Nigerian judiciary so that it will be ready for the fight against corruption, so as to save Nigeria from those who have engaged in the looting spree of our resources. The Chief Justice should do something so as to prove President Buhari, who said that the judiciary is his headache, wrong.
This victory is for Abia State and its citizens. There's no victor or vanquished here. By this verdict, the state is the only winner, as what the Supreme Court only did was to uphold the mandate the people gave to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu that the Judges of the Appeal Court wanted to rob him of due to pecuniary influence beamed upon them.
I have reiterated it times without number that Okezie Ikpeazu's mandate is divine, and that no one can take that away from him. Even Mr. Ubani noted that, after the Supreme Court's judgment, when he wrote that "God made Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu the Abia Governor to humbly serve the good people of Abia State, rebuild roads and infrastructure; restore hope and confidence in the government. Today, God has used the seven Justices of the Nigerian Supreme Court to avert the eruption of unthinkable crisis in Abia State by upholding Dr. Ikpeazu's election as the Abia Governor as well as sustaining the citizen vote to count. By this ruling, the epic court has demonstrated to the entire world that its integrity and dignity cannot be tinted or purchased by corruption, fraud, bribery, and of course, foolish money. I have an abiding faith and confidence in this court".
Dr. Ikpeazu should remain humble in victory, more committed to the development of Abia State, and should magnanimously extend the olive branch to Dr. Otti of APGA and people of all other political parties and interests in the state. An inclusive government is what Abia State needs at this stage. The governor should tap from all experiences, party affiliation notwithstanding.
Dr. Alex Otti fought the good fight with all his might and money, but, his best wasn't good enough this time around. Abia State is not for sale! All the same, we shouldn't castigate him, rather we should have pity on him for all he lost chasing an elusive post. He tried his best and that's what democracy is all about. Now the game is finally over, let's put politics behind us and Abia State in the front burner. Let the interest and well being of the state and its people be paramount in everybody's mind. We all should be loyal to Abia State.
Let me, at this point, congratulate Dr Ikpeazu on his well deserved victory. Let me also congratulate all those who helped make this victory possible; I congratulate all the commissioners for their steadfastness and sticking with Okezie Ikpeazu through thick and thin, and I hereby implore them to continue supporting the governor so that he can build Abia State to an enviable height; and most of all, I congratulate the people of Abia State, the owners of this victory. The election and the litigations are over, now is time to get down to real action. I'm happy that the governor have been doing wonderfully well since in the saddle. I just want to add that he should re-double his efforts.
We are seeing the good job the governor is doing, and we do hope that the sky will be his limit now that God Has removed almost all the obstacles on his way. He even said it himself that he needs no more distractions as he only wants to do his job for the good of Abia State. We are praying for the people's governor, so that God will strengthen his hands.
In a Press release after the Supreme Court's verdict, the governor described his victory at the Supreme Court as an impetus for more work and more services to the people of Abia State and Nigeria. He further described it as the victory of God, the victory of justice, the victory of David over Goliath and the victory of the common masses, adding that there is no victor and no vanquished. The Governor said he needed to get out of the distractions of legal tussles so he will focus his attention and channel all his energies on service delivery, and thanked the Supreme Court for giving him the impetus to continue with his revolution of rebuilding the state. Quoting from the bible, Galatians 6: 17 and repeating after Paul of Tarsus, the Governor said: "From now on, let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of my lord Jesus". The governor promised that with the distractions over, the tempo of infrastructural renewal drives in the state will be accelerated in the days ahead. The governor gave an olive branch to all his detractors and advised them to shield their sword and join him in his crusade of development for Abia State, warning that nobody should trouble him again. The Governor also thanked the people of Abia State for their support and doggedness throughout the campaigns, the elections and the legal battle that have stressed the entire state, adding that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, the governor reaffirmed his covenant with the people and maintained that his victory is a clarion call for greater stewardship to the people of Abia, noting that he will remain consistent with his vision of putting the people first.
The election is over, the litigations are over; now, All Abians including Dr. Alex Otti and all other political opponents should support the governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, in his zeal to build the state to an enviable height.
In the next part, I will look at Dr. Alex Otti's desperation for power; the ruling of the Appeal Court Tribunal in Owerri, and what informed the Supreme Court's decisions in all the governorship appeals it has handled so far.
To be continued!
TIT BITS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk90Ow--CjY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuO5NcJZKrs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POkQXeTv7-4&list=RDPOkQXeTv7-4#t=0
THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!
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