Sam Onuigbo

By our Correspondent


The member representing Ikwuano/Umuhia North/South Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives, Rep Sam Onuigbo, has expressed confidence that he would emerge the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Abia Central senatorial district.

The lawmaker in an interaction with journalists on Thursday in Abuja was reacting to the absence of his name on the  list of Presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2023 General Election released by INEC

Onuigbo affirmed he has the confidence that his mandate would be restored despite not  appearing on the list of candidates released by the INEC last Tuesday.

He said: “We are in court. The final one is not out yet despite the list of candidates released now. I am very optimistic because the person claiming the ticket did not win the primary election. He did not do primary election. So they are trying to substitute his name shamelessly. That was why they claimed a primary was held on June 7 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 him and then let Abia North and Abia South to 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 primary election on June 7.”

Onuigbo had gone to court in a suit, dated June 21 and initially marked HC/ABJ/CS/963/2022, filed on behalf by his counsel, Emeka Obelogu, SAN

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.

In the suit, Onuigbo is seeking an order of court nullifying the alleged unilateral substitution of his name as the validly elected candidate  in the primary election of the APC for the Abia Central senatorial district held between May 28 and 29, 2022.

The matter comes up for hearing on September 30, 2022.