Youth Group Rejects Tribunal Judgement Sacking Rep. Osonwa

A political group, Ohafia Youth Initiative Movement (OYIM) has rejected the sacking of Rep. Ibe Osonwa (LP-Abia)
Osonwa is member representing Arochukwu /Ohafia Federal Constituency.
The group, in a statement by its Director-General, Mr Ukpai Kalu, said that any attempt to take the mandate of Osonwa would be opposed by the Ohafia clan of the Federal Constituency.
The tribunal had on Monday sacked Osonwa, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous ruling, a three-member panel of the tribunal, which conducted its proceedings in Umuahia, held that Osonwa was not validly nominated by the LP to contest the election that held on Feb. 25.
Osonwa’s challenger from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Daniel Okeke, filed the petition.
The group expressed shock over the judgment of the tribunal, adding that the decision of the panel did not reflect the position of the constitution and the wishes of the people of the constituency.
“We have reviewed the judgment of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sacking our son, Osonwa – as the member representing Arochukwu Ohafia Federal Constituency.
“We can only agree with Osonwa that the judgment is not only perverse in all its ramifications, but also an affront on the established tenets of democracy and the wish and rights of the good people of the  constituency in choosing their representatives at the NASS.
“We reject the judgment of the tribunal in its entirety. Ohafia is not a weak clan— and we shall not watch anyone humiliate our son, using the court.
“Our people freely gave their mandate to Osonwa; Therefore, we reject the judgment and Daniel Okeke.
“We urge all lovers of peace, justice, equity and fairness to intervene now by restoring the mandate freely given to our son during the National Assembly elections.
The group further said that the tribunal cannot hinge its judgment on Sections 77(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, an issue which the Appellate Courts have severally posited are not for the election tribunal, but in the domain of pre–election matters.

NAN/Lateefah Ibrahim