A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State on Thursday nullified the election of Mr. Emeka Ibe as the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Chief Uzochukwu Onyekwere, a member of the party in Anambra and chairmanship aspirant had approached the court to contest the May 19 state elective congress that produced Ibe over his unlawful exclusion from the exercise.

Defendants in the suit were Rep. Kingsley Chinda, the Chairman of the APC Congress Committee in Anambra, Ibe, the acclaimed winner, Okey Ezea and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Onyekwere had sought a declaration that the exercise was not conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 20 of the APC constitution 2017 as amended.

In his over two hours ruling, Justice Bature Gafai dismissed the counter-affidavits of the defendants which contended that the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter as it was an internal party affair.

Justice Gafai held that the plaintiff being a bonafide member of the party and having paid the mandatory nomination fee had the right to fair contest. He therefore nullified Ibe’s election and ordered a re-run which he said INEC would supervise.

The judge however did not grant the ₦100 million in damages sought by the plaintiff. He also did not give a time frame for the repeat of the election.