AA PARTY WITHDRAWS FROM UCHE NWOSU'S GUBER PETITION:MATTERS ARISING

THE INTRA-PARTY CRISIS IN THE AA PARTY:DOES IT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE UCHE NWOSU ELECTION PETITION?

This morning, the protracted simmering controversy  in regard to the intra-party  crises in the Action Alliance Party(AA) came on the  boil as a result of a decision of a high court in Abuja that the court has accepted the withdrawal of the AA from the Uche Nwosu election petition in the 2019  governorship election in Imo State. As a result of the decision of the Abuja High Court, most operators in the CITIZEN

JOURNALISM(social media) segment of the Information Highway have gone  viral with the report that, as a result of the withdrawal of the AA from the Uche Nwosu’s petition, the case of Uche Nwosu falls flat without any scintilla or iota of redemption. They hold that the pulling out of the AA frown the election petition is extremely fatal to the cause of Uche Nwosu as the Election Petition panel will strike out the petition in the  next sitting or in the long run.

In order to make a long story short, I feel obliged to refer the reader to what the Law says on a situation of this nature. Now, let’s peruse S.137  of the Electoral Act(2010) with the headline:”PERSONS ENTITLED TO PRESENT ELECTION PETITIONS:It reads thus:

(1)An election petition may be presented by one or more of the following persons----

(a)a candidate in an election;(ie Uche Nwosu in this case)

(b)a political party which participated in the  election(i.e AA in this case).The Electoral Act did not say “a and b”.It says “by one or more of the following persons.---” In the context of usage , it’s a or b which means either the candidate  or the  political party.

Without going into a lengthy analysis , it is my opinion that , the withdrawal of the AA from the Petition is not fatal to Uche Nwosu’s  cause. Again, the  withdrawal of Uche Nwosu from the petition would not have vitiated on invalidated the  interest  of the AA from pursuing its petition, if Uche Nwosu, himself, had withdrawn from the  petition.

In summary, nothing has happened to terminate the petition in mid-projectile..However, the withdrawal of his party may constitute a persuasive load on him to reconsider whether it’s worthwhile  pursuing the petition or  accept the present vicissitudes with philosophical equanimity and move on with his life. This will be discussed in part 2 of this analysis.

Having said my opinion on this trending issue, I would use this forum to make some observations on the state of the analysis ambience in Imo State. Present realities have compelled me to back down on my decision not to participate in any debate on the ongoing Uche Nwosu VS. Governor Emeka Ihedioha Election Petition in the Tribunal at Owerri.To most of us, writing has become an addiction even though we attract more enmity to ourselves each time we discuss trending issues from our own perception. The inescapable fact is that most of us are addicted to writing, even though, we are in a State where people do not believe in objective truth, especially if it’s coming from a member of the media profession.

Often, if you are a media professional, you are branded “a hack writer”  “a paid writer” or even an “EKEONUNWA COLUMNIST” etc. It does not matter that other professionals: doctors, lawyers, accountants even magicians etc are well paid for their services, but when a media professional is paid N1, he is condemned with all sorts of negative stereotypes and shibboleths. But, life must goes on, in spite of this sad development..

 It’s more saddening when you consider the fact that majority of those who use these epithets or nomenclatures on you are fellow so-called professional writers. The media profession in Imo State is in a state of quandary and quagmire as there is systemic collapse in ethical standards.There is abysmal lack of esprit de corps. Some pretenders in the profession are merely used to harangue and engage in backstabbing of their supposed colleagues. So, in such a hostile environment, one is tempted to maintain some silence over trending /sensitive issues. Unfortunately, no professional in any field will be stampeded out of his  profession  on the grounds of harassments/occupational hazards from  misguided elements or Fifth Columnists within the Fourth Estate. So, in spite of the occupational hazards in the much-abused inky profession, one cannot maintain a conspiracy of silence when critical issues are being discussed.

JOHN MGBE

johnmgbe@yahoo.com