Oduah's supreme court victory

*Oduah's Supreme Court Victory: A Confirmation of Appeal Court Injustice on Ekwunife, Anambra Central*

By *Kingsley Chukwuemeka Ubani*

Yesterday, Friday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared Senator Stella Oduah winner of the December 2014 PDP Senatorial primaries after it looked at a case brought to it by one of the Aspirants, Margaret Okadigbo, contesting the emergence of the Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial zone in the Party Primary election.

Oduah's victory again brings to question, the veracity of Justice in the Judgment of the Appeal Court, nullifying Senator Uche Ekwunife's election to the Senate.

Recall that AD Yahaya, Awotolo and Sanga - Justices of the Appeal Court while sitting on a case brought to it by the then candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Victor Umeh challenging the 2015 Senatorial Election for Anambra Central Senatorial zone, nullified Senator Ekwunife's election on December 2015.

It is on record that Ekwunife, who represented Anambra Central Senatorial zone between June and December 2015, in her brief stay served as Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream.

The Senate committee on Petroleum Downstream is one of the prominent standing committees in the Senate. The committee oversights many powerful agencies in the downstream sector. These agencies, their subsidiaries and the viability of the sector form the lifeline of many businesses in the Nigerian economy, sustaining and creating thousands of jobs annually.

Also recall that Anambra central was the first zone in the south-east to Chair the Petroleum Downstream committee. So Indeed, it was a big blow as the people of Anambra central and Anambra state lost their grip on this position which is presently being occupied by a northerner - a situation any politically aware individual would consider unfortunate.

Senator Oduah's case was challenged on the same basis as that of Ekwunife, bringing to question the quality and consistency of our Judges and Nigeria's Judicial system, noting that the unfortunate Judgment and its reactive litigations not only denied the zone a chance of heading the petroleum downstream committee but equally left the zone without a representative at the red chamber for close to three years.