By Chuks Collins
The Federal High Court sitting in Awka has fixed July 23,2025 for judgement in the suit brought before it by Chief Valentine Ozigbo, a defeated aspirant for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s April primary election.
The 3rd Interim Report of the suit brought by Ozigbo against the APC & 2Ors sequel to earlier interim reports, set the stage for the final judgment on 23rd July,2025.
When closing arguments were taken and heard by the Court on June 18,2025 in the Pre-election matter filed by Chief Ozigbo against APC and it’s nominated candidate- Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu (aka Ikukuoma, Wind of Glory) for the forthcoming November 8, 2025 Anambra State off-cycle Gubernatorial election and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants, Ozigbo in a shocking twist admitted that Ukachukwu’s nomination followed due process.
Ozigbo had claimed that Ukachukwu did not qualify to contest the APC’s primary election which he eventually won with a landslide victory.
The defeated aspirant who came a distant second in the said primary election insisted that Prince Ukachukwu did not become a member of APC, three months before the said primary election.
In their Counter Affidavits containing the facts and documentary evidence attached together with succinct Legal arguments in their Written Addresses from the three defendants, Ozigbo capitulated, as he was clearly and visibly shaken, ruffled and dumbfounded.
Consequently, in a voltface, he changed the character of his case and and veered off tangent and started saying that he was not challenging Ukachukwu’s APC membership but when became a member of the party. This new line of argument therefore knocked out the bottom of the spurious pre-election suit that was dead on arrival in view of a plethora of Supreme Court’s decisions on membership of a political party since its locus classicus decision in Onuora Vs Okafor applied in its recent decisions especially Ahiwe Vs Otti.
In another attempt to wake the already dead case, Ozigbo when allowed to play two audio/video clips in the open Court and opted to take the witness box to face cross-examination of the 1st and 2nd defendants’ Senior Counsels.
Under the cross-examination he further capitulated and sounded the final death knell on his case by admitting that the two audio/video clips did not mention the date Prince Ukachukwu became a member of the APC.
He also admitted in his own Affidavit in support of his Originating Summons that the said Primary Election which he lost to Prince Ukachukwu was validly conducted without any breach of the Electoral Act or the APC Guidelines for Primary Elections. He thereby conceded that there was no need for him to have file the said suit ab initio.
Moreso, APC in its Counter Affidavit, Documentary Exhibits attached and their Written Address confirmed that it complied with all relevant laws in nominating Prince Ukachukwu as her candidate to contest the coming Nov 8, 2025 as even admitted Valentine Ozigbo.
The overwhelming evidence against Ozigbo’s case coupled with the most recent Supreme Court’s decisions especially the case of R.S.H.A. Vs Government of Rivers State of (Similayi Fubara’s case)which held that Membership Card of a political party is complete proof of membership and of the date of membership not from the speculation of public media as Ozigbo tried to insinuate.
The APC Membership Card of Prince Ukachukwu bearing the date he registered in his Orsumenyi, Nnewi South Council Electoral Ward as a member of APC was attached to his Counter Affidavit and Counter Affidavit of the APC which were not controverted in any way by Valentine Ozigbo in his further Affidavit and his two Audio/Video clips.
This therefore put paid to Ozigbo’s case and he now knows that his case was based on mere public speculations, unsubstantiated and irreparable faulty foundation, frivolous and an abuse of the process of Court.
