Election Petition Tribunal: Ifeanyi Ubah urges Judge to shun Andy Uba’s ‘back door move’

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has accused former Senator Andy Uba of using the back door to hinder judicial process in a pending Election Petition Tribunal matter between himself, Andy Uba, and Chris Uba.

He has therefore, in a petition to the president of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, asked her not to yield to the alleged move by Andy Uba to “interfere in judicial process.”

Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) had defeated the Uba brothers, Andy of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Chris of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to emerge as senator representing Anambra South in the 9th National Assembly.

However, following the outcome of the election, Chris Uba and Andy Uba had petitioned Ifeanyi Ubah before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, Anambra State capital, challenging his emergence.

But Ifeanyi Ubah, in a petition signed by his counsel Messrs Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and D.C. DeNwigwe, which was sighted by some newsmen on Monday in Awka, argued that Chris Uba, the petitioner, had earlier filed and served on him a motion for consolidation of EPT/AN/SEN/09/2019 filed by Sen. Andy Uba.

He added, “On May 31, 2019, when the petition with number EPT/AN/SEN/11/2019 came up before Panel C, the Chairman, Hon. Justice Onovo disclosed to the parties that the petition, EPT/AN/SEN/09/2019 had been transferred from Panel B to panel C.”

Noting that he was stunned to learn that Andy Uba allegedly went through the back door seeking de-consolidation of the matter, Ifeanyi Ubah said:

“The issue that arises here is whether in the face of the ruling of the tribunal on the 12th of June, 2019, on consolidating the two matters is, can any of the party apply by administrative means to de-consolidation the petition?”

He therefore prayed Bulkachuwa to decline the application allegedly by Andy Uba seeking to de-consolidate the petition.

According to him, any of the petitioners that have decided not to continue with the petition should not de-consolidate the petition through the back door but should adopt a proper procedure.