Youths Protest In Lagos, Ask Supreme Court To Uphold Ikpeazu's Election(PHOTOS)

Ikenna Asoma   Reports

A group known as Abia Youth Team (AYT), has faulted the recent
judgment of the Appeal Court, which declared the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Mr. Alex Otti, the
winner of Abia State governorship election.

 According to Vanguard the President, AYT, Prince Obinna Ehumadu, who stated this
during a protest in Lagos, asked the Supreme Court to set aside
the December 31, 2015, ruling of the Appeal Court, which nullified
the election of Okezie Ikpeazu citing inconsistency in the votes
cast in three Local Government Areas of Osisioma, Obingwa and
Isi-Alangwa.

According to him, “We are here because of equity and justice. We
are here to make our voices known to Abians and Nigerians that
the votes of the good people of Abia State must count. The
rights of the people must be respected because we are in a
democratic system of governance.

“We are showing solidarity with our Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to
tell whole world that he is already a performer. This is a governor
that has unveiled seven roads and awarded several contracts
within seven months. He has the zeal to transform Abia State into
the Dubai of Africa.

“If you look at the very filthy Aba, which was in the media radar
for years as one of the dirtiest cities in Nigeria, it’s already
wearing a new look. For us to get to the promise land in Abia
State, Governor Ikpeazu doesn’t need any distraction. During the
last election, Abians from across the federation traveled back
home for voters’ registration.

“We also traveled home en masse to vote for the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Okezie Ikpeazu, in the April 11,
2015 governorship elections, so why then should Ikpeazu be
sacked by the Appellate Court sitting in Owerri?
“For us, that judgment is inconsistent with the tenets of
democracy and the will of the Abia people. We seize this medium
to call on the wise Justices of the Supreme Court to critically look
at the matters again, and do the needful, which is upturning the
verdict of the lower court,” he added.

The voices of the people of Abia State, the group said, must not
be truncated for the interest of peace and to safeguard its
democracy from hawks.

Similarly, Facilitator, AYT, Okechukwu Nzekwe, said: “ We believe
in all fairness that the wise men at the Supreme Court will restore
the mandates Abians gave to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. The votes of
people in these three council areas must count. As stakeholders
in Abia State, we would not want any Abian to be
disenfranchised.

“We have just commenced a journey into democracy, so we want
the rule of law to prevail. Abians have spoken and that mandate
stays. If at all the Appellate Court was not satisfied with the
votes cast in these three council areas, the best thing it would
have done in line with fairness, reason and logic was to ask for a
re-run, rather than sacking the Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. It happened in
Rivers and Akwa-Ibom. This inconsistent ruling is what we are
appealing to the wise Justices at the Supreme Court to look into,
and I can assure that we at Abia Youth Team (AYT), are very
optimistic that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu will be victorious at the
Supreme Court,” he said.