The second judge has withdrawn from a suit filed by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue him a certificate of return as the senator-elect for Imo West.
The development came barely a week after the first judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, of the Federal High Court in Abuja, withdrew from the case.
The it was gathered on Monday that after Justice Taiwo withdrew from the case on April 10, it was reassigned to Justice Okon Abang also of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Abang was said to have on April 11 fixed April 18 for hearing in the suit.
But on the date fixed for the hearing, Justice Abang announced his decision to withdraw from the suit.
His decision was anchored on Okorocha’s letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, asking for the transfer of the case to another judge.
The governor, in the letter, was said to have sought the transfer of the case to another judge because opponents in the case were jubiliating that Justice Abang would dismiss the case.
The judge, upon seeing the letter in the file , immediately informed parties of his withdrawal from the suit.
Justice Taiwo had earlier withdrawn from the suit following allegations of bias levelled against him by two parties to the suit.
Meanwhile, Rochas Okorocha, has described a former governor of the state, Achike Udenwa, as the state’s worst governor ever.
He said while another former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, could still be remembered for his Clean and Green Initiatives, nothing could be said of Udenwa’s administration.
Okorocha made the allegations in a statement made available to journalists in Owerri, the state capital, on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo.
Onwuemeodo said the statement was the governor’s reaction to media attacks that Udenwa allegedly launched against Okorocha, Ohakim and President Muhammadu Buhari in the last four weeks.
He claimed that the former governor was adjudged the worst in the history of the state.
He said, “If he feels that this claim is not true, let him be patriotic enough to publish his achievements for the eight years he was governor and let Rochas Okorocha publish his achievements for eight years.
“In fact, he is envious of Okorocha because while he left no footprint behind, Rochas Okorocha is leaving behind enviable footprints as Imo State governor for eight years.
“Let Udenwa state what he achieved in eight years as governor and let Rochas do the same so that Nigerians can see who between the two of them is a disaster.
“They feel intimidated by Rochas Okorocha’s achievements and people like him want to hide under the glaring blunder INEC committed during the 2019 governorship election in the state to talk down on a governor that has raised the bar of governance in the state.
“Chief Udenwa should always consider the implications of his vituperations against Governor Okorocha before coming up with them.
“That we chose not to respond to his first, second and third media attacks should not give him the impression that we would continue to fold our arms and watch him do that for the fourth time.”
Source: Punch
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