There was wild jubilation in Umuahia, Aba and some major towns of Abia State on Thursday when news filtered in that the Appeal Court in Abuja reversed the judgement of a Federal High Court sacking Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had pronounced Ikpeazu sacked.
Abang also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately inaugurate Uche Ogah as the governor.
But in an appeal filed by Ikpeazu, the Appeal Court on Thursday reversed the judgement.
The Justice Helen Ogunwumiju-led five-man bench collectively agreed in their judgement that Justice Abang wrongly assumed jurisdiction to hear the motion.
Justice Philomina Ekpe, who read the lead judgement, held that what Justice Abang ought to have done in line with time-honoured doctrine of “stari decisis” was to have passed the motion to the Court of Appeal for determination.
Justice Ekpe also held that Justice Abang wrongly interpreted the provisions of Order 4(10) and (11) of the Court of Appeal rules when he held that the said provisions were only applicable to an interlocutory ruling of the lower court and when a final judgement in a suit had been delivered.
She added that Justice Abang lacked jurisdictions to interprete the provisions of the Court of Appeal being the rules of a Superior Court.
Abians, in their thousands, trooped out immediately after the judgement to express their satisfaction with the Appeal Court verdict.
