INEC list: Abia lawmaker, Onuigbo says name substituted with an impostor, vows to reclaim mandate

Following the release of the final list of party candidates ahead of February 28 general election, member representing Ikwuano/Umuhia North/South in the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo, whose name was excluded as Senatorial candidate has expressed confidence that he would emerge as the Abia Central Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Onuigbo described substitution of his name with an impostor, Emeka Atuma as an act of illegality that cannot stand the distil of the law.

According to the lawmaker, Atuma did not even participate in the primary elections.

Sam Onuigbo, had asked an Abuja High Court to restrain his party from substituting his name for the 2023 general election.

He sued the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Emeka Atuma as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively over the alleged substitution of his name with another.

The suit, dated June 21 and initially marked HC/ABJ/CS/963/2022, was filed on Onuigbo’s behalf by his counsel, Emeka Obelogu.

However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, transferred the suit to Justice Evelyn Anyadike of Federal High Court, Umuahia Division, under suit number FHC/ABJ/UM/CS/113/2022.

Onuigbo sought an order of court nullifying the alleged unilateral substitution of his name as the validly elected candidate for that of Atuma, who he said never participated in the primary election of the APC for the Abia Central Senatorial District held between May 28 and May 29.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday In Abuja, Onuigbo, was confident his mandate would be restored despite Atuma’s name appearing on the list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday.

He said, “We are in court. The final one is not out yet despite the list of candidate. I am very optimistic because Atuma did not win the election. He did not do election. He did not do primary election. So they are tying to substitute his name shamelessly. That is when the did the election on the 7th day of June which was the day we started the process of electing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our presidential candidate here in Abuja.

“So is anybody now saying that they removed the delegates for Abia Central and did primaries for Atuma and then let Abia North and Abia South go to Abuja. It is not possible. It did not happen. So they used their own hands to forge the document and say they did election on the 7th day of June.

“But you know the matter is in court and we believe the court would do their proper finding. They said they did their own primary election on the 7th of June when all of us were in Abuja. They all including Emeka and the party chairman and party secretary shamelessly swore to an affidavit that he was involved in the primary election. We were all there at Eagles Square. The main election took place on the 28th and 29th of May.

“Emeka is claiming to be in an election in Election that took place on the 7th day of June when we were all in Abuja, the day of the presidential primaries. Is he now saying that those delegates from Abia were now seperated and told to stay in Abia? That is the shame.

“I am hopeful the court would be done before the middle of October because the definite hearing is on the 30th of September. We are hopeful and we are believing God.”