There was a twist on 28th August
2013 to the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 16th
2013 Anambra State governorship election.
A Federal High Court sitting in Port
Harcourt ordered the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to recognise the candidate elected by the Ejike Oguebego-led faction of
Anambra State PDP.
Senator Andy Uba won the primary. But
Tony Nwoye won the primary conducted by the Ken Emekeyi-led faction of the
party. Both congresses were held last Saturday in Awka.
PDP Chairman Bamaga Tukur yesterday
gave the certificate of return to Nwoye as the party’s flag bearer.
Senator Andy Uba told the court
presided over by Justice H.A. Nganjiwa that the primaries that produced him as
the candidate followed the laid down procedures. Joined in the suit as
defendants are the PDP national leadership and INEC.
The suit was filed before last
weekend’s primaries. Oguebego, the state secretary of the PDP, Chief Gilbergt
Okoye, and the Legal Adviser, Chucks Okoye sued for themselves and on behalf of
the State Executive Committee of the PDP.
Justice Nganjiwa ordered that the
result of the primaries conducted by the Ejike Oguebego-led executive, where
Uba emerged as the candidate, should be upheld, pending the hearing and
determination of the suit by the applicants.
He said the PDP and INEC should
accept the results that emerged from the wards and state congress, pending the
hearing and determination of the motion on notice or hearing and determination
of the motion to set aside the interim order.
The judge said: “The first and
second defendants are to forthwith comply with the order of this honourable
court made on the 26th of August, 2013.”
Prior to the ruling, the court gave
an exparte order restraining both the INEC and PDP from dealing with the Ken
Emeakayi faction, pending the hearing of the main application. The court
adjourned the matter till tomorrow.
However, at the meeting of the PDP
National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, Tukur pronounced Nwoye the winner of
the primaries and governorship candidate, following the report of Katsina State
Governor Ibrahim Shema, his Gombe counterpart, Ibrahim Dankwambo, and Senate
Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, who monitored the primaries.
Nwoye was yesterday presented with a
certificate of return by the national chairman.
The presentation came just as the
Uba brothers, Andy and Chris, shunned the summon extended to them by the leadership
of the PDP.
Also summoned alongside the Uba
brothers were Chief Benji Udeozor and Mrs. Tonia Nwankwo. They were ordered to
appear before the party’s leadership at 10am yesterday. None of them honoured
the invitation.
They were summoned to explain their
roles in the conduct of the August 24 parallel primary election through which
Andy Uba emerged as PDP candidate.
Shortly after collecting his
certificate, Nwoye told reporters that he remained the authentic candidate of
the party.
The Southeast zone also insisted
that Nwoye is the party’s candidate. The zone’s position was made known during
its Zonal Executive Committee meeting in Enugu on 28th August 2013.
Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu, Governors of Ebonyi and Abia states Chief Martin Elechi and
Theodore Orji, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Senator
Hope Uzodinma and former PDP National Chairman Vincent Ogbulafor, among others,
attended.
The Southeast PDP Publicity
Secretary, Ali Odefa, who read the communique at the end of the meeting, said
the zoning arrangement for all PDP’s National Working Committee given to the
Southeast Zone had been retained.
He, however, stated that elections
for the positions would take place, adding that people would be advised not to
contest for positions that were not zoned to their states.
According to Odefa, the leadership
of the party passed a vote of commendation on people from the Southeast zone
that held positions in the NWC of the party in the past.
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