The Court of Appeal, Awka Division in Anambra State has voided the claim of the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, Senator Uche Ekwunife, insisting that Senator Victor Umeh is a validly nominated candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the zone.

Ekwunife had approached and secured a judgment from the Federal High Court, Awka, presided over by Justice HC Nganjiwa, sacking Umeh as the candidate of LP.

Ekwunife had contended that Umeh was still a member of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as at the time he was nominated as LP senatorial candidate.

Umeh had, however, approached the Appeal Court, where the court declared him the candidate of the Labour Party. Umeh submitted that he duly resigned from APGA, and that Ekwunife and the PDP, not being members of LP, had no business challenging his nomination.

Umeh also added that Ekwunife filed her case behind time, making it statute barred.

The court in its judgement, which was delivered on Thursday morning, held that the suit which supposedly disqualified Umeh at the Federal High Court was statute barred and lacked locus.

Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, who read the judgement via zoom, allowed the two appeals by the Labour Party and Senator Umeh to stand.