By Dipo Olowookere
The election of Mr Okezie Ikpeazu as Governor of Abia State in the 2015 gubernatorial poll has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mr Ikpeazu was declared the rightful winner of the exercise by the apex court on Friday in a ruling of a five-member panel of justices led by Mr Walter Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Justice Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on June 27, 2016, nullified the election of Mr Ikpeazu as Governor on the grounds of tax evasion.
He ordered for the immediate inauguration of Mr Ikpeazu’s opponent, Mr Uche Ogah, as the Abia State Governor.
But the Governor challenged this at an appeal court, where the lower court’s ruling was upturned on August 18.
Not satisfied with this, Mr Ogah proceeded to the Supreme Court to seek a reversal of the appellate court.
Today, at the Supreme Court, Mr Ogah lost his case against the Governor and was directed to pay a cost of N250,000.
