An Abuja High Court has issued a restraining order and stay of a magistrate court’s proceedings in a criminal summon filed against the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, spokesman, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
The court suspended the criminal summons pending the hearing of the application for judicial review filed by Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
According to Court documents sighted by Vanguard, Justice Hassan of the FCT High Court granted the prayer seeking leave to Ugochinyere.
The Court ruled that, “This Court hereby direct against the respondents by themselves or acting jointly or through agents, prohibiting them from conducting any hearing or further proceedings against the Applicant in the matter of Nze Chinasa Nwaneri vs Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu in case no. WZ6/CR/30/2022.”
Ikenga will also seek to ask for an award of the sum of N50, 000, 000 (Fifty Million Naira) only against the respondents jointly and severally as general damages for the “unlawful prosecution, humiliation and embarrassment caused the Applicant and his business.”
Ugochinyere reacting to the development said: “There have been series of actions in recent times to silence me since I made revelations about the voter register compromise popularly referred to as Omuma Magic wherein it was discovered that millions of fake registrations took place in at least 18 states of the federation. INEC has since deleted millions of such fake registrations and about 13 of its staff involved are undergoing disciplinary proceedings.
“This is yet another judicial victory for me in this battle to get to the House of Representatives which has seen me secure sixteen judicial victories.”
The matter has been adjourned to 3rd January, 2023 for substantive hearing.