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Imo North: Ibezim floors Araraume as court orders ex-lawmaker to join him in suit

Anthony Iwuoma

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, on Friday, ruled that Sen. Ifeanyi Araraume must join Sir Frank Ibezim of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the suit, seeking an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare him winner of the Dec. 5, 2020, Imo North Senatorial By-election and consequently issue him with the Certificate of Return.

Araraume had objected to Ibezim’s plea to be joined in the suit being an interested party.

Ibezim and the APC had separately requested to be joined as defendants in Ararume’s suit, a request he objected to in a counter-affidavit filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, arguing that there was no evidence before the court to show that the applicants deserved to be joined in the suit.

Dismissing Araraume’s objection, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, ruled that the APC and Ibezim, one of its candidates in the said by-election, must be joined in the suit in the interest of fair hearing, adding that it is the right of anyone that is likely to be affected by court ruling to be joined if he so desires.

Justice Taiwo ruled: “A party to an action is either a plaintiff or defendant and any other persons who may be affected directly or indirect by the order of the court.

“If a  party is aggrieved or likely to be aggrieved by the litigation, such party had to be joined “to avoid multiplicity of the suit and to ensure that fair hearing is not breached.

“This court ought to and must ensure that the rules of fair hearing and natural justice are not breached.

“The plaintiff shall amend the originating processes to include the 2nd and 3rd defendants within three days and the defendants too shall file their processes too within three days.

“The plaintiff has within three days to reply them if he so wishes.”

Thereafter, Justice Taiwo fixed Feb. 5 as date for the next hearing.

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