After the ruling of the Federal High Court in Umuahia on Thursday sacking him as the Arochukwu state constituency candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Prince Ike Okorafor has said he has filed a notice of appeal, saying he will fight to the end.
The court had ordered a rerun within 14 days after Mr. Ifeanyi Elvis challenged Okorafor’s victory over irregularities.
Prince Okorafor alleged that despite desperate efforts to stop him from participating in the primary election of the party for the constituency, he took part in it, saying that he would not give up his mandate for those not qualified to represent Arochukwu in Abia State House of Assembly.
He said, “Before now there have been a desperate effort to stop me from participating in the forth -coming election. When I consulted the APGA leviathan in my local government, he made mockery of Abam and told me how he want the position to go to Ihechiowa, ISU or Ututu to balance the power equation.
“I took the insult yet reasoned with him but to my greatest surprise he went and bought form for his boy and attempted to stop me from getting a nomination form. He practically Instructed that my nomination form should not BE SIGNED if not for the intervention of the STATE WORKING COMMITTEE of the party”.
According to him, another attempt was made to stop him at the screening level which was reversed by the party’s national working committee among other attempts to distract him from emerging the candidate of the party.
He added, “Another attempt to stop me was during screening, he paid that I should be SCREENED OUT which they did but the NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE upturned it. We went for primary elections, his godson did not participate instead conducted a fake primary election outside the venue chosen by the party without INEC just to cause me distraction. The judgement was influenced but I don’t have a problem with that. Let them also buy judgment at the appeal court.
“Glory be to God that even with all their intimidations the trial judge refused to grant any of the reliefs they sought in their suit but merely ordered a new primary election which I have appealed. After primary election, my name DISAPPEARED as the winner, if not for inec report and the National CHAIRMAN of APGA they would have stopped me.
“I will fight to the end. They have failed. Enough of the imposition in our constituency. Our people needs help. We want independent men who can take responsibility for their actions not errand boys” he added.
