Gov Ikpeazu To Vacate Office Over Tax Fraud?
These are indeed bad times for Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state as he may be sent parking from the government house over alleged fraudulent payment of taxes that enabled his qualification to contest the governorship election in the state.
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According to a report on Sahara Reporters, the Nigerian Supreme Court has ordered the Federal High Court to retry the case challenging the fraudulent payment of taxes of Governor Ikpeazu before the April 11 governorship election in the state.
It was gathered that some of his opponents in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Obasi Uba Ekagbara and Chukwuemeka Mba had approached the Federal High court over the eligibility of Governor Ikpeazu to contest in the primary election conducted for governorship aspirants of the party in the state during the last election in 2015.
Ikpeazu’s opponents had alleged that he did was ineligible to contest as he did not pay his taxes of years 2011, 2012 and 2013 as at when due.
Gov Ikpeazu To Vacate Office Over Tax Fraud?
According to the group, the taxes he (Ikpeazu) allegedly paid for the three years were paid on the same day. The plaintiff faulted the authenticity of Ikpeazu’s tax clearance certificate and the information contained in his INEC “Form CF100″.
However, in his reaction, Ikpeazu challenged the competence of the Federal High Court Abuja to hear the case but the court overruled his objection. The Court of Appeal however sided him and ruled that the case ought to have been filed at the Abia State High Court.
Determined to get justice, Ikpeazu’s opponents sought redress at the Supreme Court following the Court of Appeal ruling and in a judgment handed down last Friday, January 22, by five Supreme Court justices led by Justice Mohammed Muntaka -Coomassie, the court faulted the decision of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the competence of the Federal High Court Abuja to try the case.
The justices ordered the Federal High Court in Abuja to begin a fresh hearing of a suit challenging the qualification of Ikpeazu, adding that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria to ensure that the case is heard.
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Gov. Ikpeazu stands at a risk of vacating the office of the governor of Abia state should he be found guilty in the pre-election case at the Federal High Court.
This comes as a double blow to the incumbent governor as the Court of Appeal, sitting in Owerri had ruled that it was Alex Otti of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and not him (Ikpeazu) won the governorship election conducted in Abia state on April 11, 2015.
An appeal filed by the embattled Governor is pending at the Supreme Court for adjudication. If Ikpeazu loses at the Supreme Court, he would also be forced to vacate office.
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