A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, on Wednesday, ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the outcome of the
governorship primary, which produced Senator Andy Uba as its standard-bearer
for the November 16 election in Anambra State.
This was as the party, on Wednesday,
presented its certificate of return for the November 16 Anambra State
governorship election to Tony Nwoye, as its standard-bearer in the election.
According to the court, presided over
by Justice H. Ngajiwa, the primary conducted by the Ejike Oguebego-led
executive council of the PDP in the state, which declared Uba as winner,
subsisted.
The court also restrained INEC and
PDP from accepting the outcome of the primary conducted by the Ken Emeakayi-led
faction in the state, pending the hearing and determination of the motion
for interlocutory injunction and motion to set aside the interim order.
The judge said the order to recognise
Uba as the winner of the PDP primary was based upon an originating summons
dated and filed on August 5.
“The first and second defendants are
hereby restrained from accepting the wards and state congresses results from
Emeakayi-led PDP executive from Anambra State, pending the hearing and
determination of the motion for interlocutory injunction and motion to
set aside the interim order made on August 6,” he said.
The case was adjourned till tomorrow.
Presenting the certificate of return
to Nwoye, the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, expressed
satisfaction with the processes that led to his emergence which, he said, were
open, free, fair and transparent.
Tukur said “I am very proud today to
preside over the process that produced a governorship candidate for Anambra
State. I never have any personal contact with Nwoye. I don’t even know him.
“When I assumed office as the
national chairman of the party, the president, who is also the national leader
of the party, told me that henceforth, in the PDP, it is going to be one man,
one vote, one woman, one vote and one youth, one vote. That is exactly what
happened in the case of Anambra governorship primary, the people have spoken.”
He urged Nwoye to pacify aggrieved
aspirants and their followers and mobilise all the members of the party in all
the parts of the state for the November 16 governorship election, so that the
party could reclaim the state from the grip of the opposition.
Speaking shortly after receiving the
certificate, Nwoye described his emergence as an act of God and commended the
neutrality of the presidency, the national chairman of the party and other
members of the NWC.
He pleaded with other aspirants and
party members to team up with him to make the November 16 victory a reality for
the party.
Speaking with newsmen later, Nwoye
faulted the position of INEC on the victory, saying the commission could not
stop him from contesting the election.
Describing the primary as
transparent, Nwoye said he had reached out to all the aspirants, including Uba,
adding that they were showing positive responses.
Meanwhile, Senator Uba and four
others summoned to appear before the party to explain why they should not be
disciplined for participating in what was called an “illegal governorship
primary” in Anambra failed to honour the invitation on Wednesday.
Others
summoned alongside Uba were his brother, Chris; factional chairman of the
party, Oguebego; Chief Benji Udeozor and Mrs Tonia Nwankwu.
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Politics