Court Sends Uche Ogah To Prison, Ex-Minister Reacts

The crisis rocking the Abia State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC has taken a different twist as a State Magistrate Court sitting in Umuahia on Thursday convicted the governorship candidate of the party and immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah, for forgery, and ordered his arrest and committal to prison at any nearest Correctional Centre in the state.

Ogah through his lawyer, Barr. Chijioke Udeogu while reacting to the decision of the court described it as a kangaroo trial which underlines the desperation of a factional governorship candidate of the party, Ikechi Emenike and his cohorts.

Barr. Udeogu said there was no proper trial and investigation of the alleged forgery of the party’s direct primary election result sheet.

A federal high court sitting in Abuja had last month declared Ogah the authentic governorship candidate of the party in Abia, a judgement Chief Ikechi Emenike said was obtained through deceit and fraud.

Both are laying claims to the party’s governorship candidate having emerged through parallel primaries.

While Ogah emerged through a direct primary as directed by the party’s national leadership, Emenike emerged through an indirect primary.

The Federal High Court has however laid the argument to rest by validating the candidacy of Ogah.

Emenike had approached a state magistrate court in Umuahia alleging forgery, for which Ogah was on Thursday convicted and committed to prison.

Barr. Udeogu faulted the trial in a chat with ABN TV and queried why Ogah was not tried by the police for the alleged criminal offence, saying such processes should be filed by the police or other security agencies and not a man he said has been randomly defeated politically.

“Ikechi Emenike is a sinking man desperately looking for what to hold unto. This is a criminal case and it is the enforcement agency that ought to bring the case before the magistrate. There is no case against Uche Ogah brought to his notice by the police,” he said.