By Tony Okafor, Awka
The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh, has said that God did everything to pave the way for his overwhelming victory during the 2023 elections and in the tribunal where a number of petitions were filed against his triumph.
He said as a Catholic, he had dedicated his recent victory at the election petition tribunal to Mother Mary,who he said fought for him against those who played God to truncate his success both in the 2023 elections and in the election petition tribunal.
He said “ I am a Catholic and a Marian Devotee. I am a great follower of Mother Mary and today( September 8) is Her birthday. When they scheduled the judgment on September 8th, I knew ‘they’ have lost. So I give all the glory to God. I dedicate this victory to the Blessed Virgin Mary whom the judgement coincided with Her birthday.”
Umeh, a Chieftain of Labour Party (LP), made the remarks while reacting to the tribunal judgements which upheld his election as the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District.
In a statement he personally signed, the Ohamadike Ndigbo, said: “To the glory of God, this is the second Judgment in the various Petitions filed against me. On Wednesday, the Election Petition Tribunal in Awka dismissed the Petition of the NNPP and her Candidate for lack of merit and abuse of court process.
Today (Friday) also, the Petition by APGA and her Candidate was dismissed. This happened to be the big one because it generated lots of tension and hype. But I have remained calm over the period since after the election because I knew I won the election and I did not do anything to compromise the process.
“The election went as designed by the Electoral Commission and the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District, convinced that I will represent them better than any other candidate, voted overwhelmingly for me. I scored over 103,608 votes, the person who came second scored 69,702 votes (that’s the APGA Candidate), the PDP Candidate scored 49,532 votes. So looking at the margins, I did not see what anybody could go to the tribunal to look for, as I was clearly the choice of the people.
But they have gone to the ribunal to claim all sorts of things and make so much noise about them. Mine is that I am a great stickler to due process, I always study the law and I follow it judiciously.”
Continuing, he added: “There was a High Court Order against my nomination on the 26th of January this year but the Appeal Court set it aside on the 23rd of February (just two days to the Election) and I won. I was surprised that someone could go to the tribunal to rely on the same Federal High Court Judgement to attempt to say that I was not a candidate in the Election.
“So, this judgment was well considered. I commend the tribunal because they took all the issues they raised and trashed them based on Law. So there’s nothing anybody can complain about against this Judgement.
“I am happy because this judgment has put to rest the distractions. No matter what they intend to do further, the distractions have abated.
“So that I can concentrate fully to work for my people. We have a lot of work to do for them, so it is important that we be given the space to go all out and do that work. Our people are challenged in Nigeria; my constituency is challenged in Nigeria and I want to be given the opportunity to confront their problems head-on.
“With this victory, I think the coast is now very clear unless anybody has intentions to do anything further. But even if they do anything further, God who arranged my victory will not allow them. My victory was orchestrated by God. It was God who did everything—saw me through the elections, gave me the victory and today, emphatically, all petitions have been dismissed!”
“I congratulate the Anambra Central people on this victory. The way they fought for me in this Election show that they desire to have me as their Senator. I also want to thank all my supporters, my Campaign Organization, the Ohamadike Media Team, they are very formidable.
“I thank my Lawyers, the lead counsel and for me, my personal lawyer, Sir Patrick I.N. Ikwueto SAN who has been my lawyer since 2005. All my legal exploits, every time Victor Umeh wins, it has been through his hard work.
In this petition, Chief Barrister Alexander Ejesieme SAN partnered him. He was the lead counsel to Labour Party. So we all worked together. And their submissions became unassailable to see the tribunal agreed with them in all the points of law they raised and the petition was actually struck out for lacking in merit.”
