Anambra guber: APGA, PDP return to courts over Soludo, Ozigbo

Gubernatorial candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State have taken their battles over the ticket of the parties to the courts.

 

That is in a bid to outwit their parallel factions. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had last Friday published the list of candidates of political parties for the November gubernatorial election in the area without the name of Prof Charles Soludo of APGA . INEC rather enlisted Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji as its candidate while the PDP had no name on the list.

 

The electoral commission had relied on court orders obtained by various factions of the two political parties as reasons for its action. A High Court presided over by Hon Justice Obiora Nwabuike had ordered that Valentine Ozigbo should not parade himself as governorship candidate of PDP following a suit brought before the court by Sen Ugochukwu Uba the factional candidate of the party.

Also another High Court had also challenged the candidacy of Uba contending that the primary election that made him candidates is illegal and of no effect. Factional Chairman of the PDP Mr Umeaba told Sunday Telegraph that they have been in court since last week on the matter adding that before the end of the week Ugochukwu Uba name would be on the list of candidates as the candidate of the party.

 

He dismissed the claims by the Valentine Ozigbo led faction that they are the authentic party leadership not his faction and expressed optimism that Ugochukwu Uba would carry the day.

 

However Valentine Ozigbo campaign organization in a statement said that there is no cause for alarm adding that the pending litigations would be dispensed with and that their candidate would contest as the party candidate. In a statement to the press, signed by Aziza Uko, the Media Adviser of the Valentine Ozigbo Campaign Organisation, she noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) reliance on a court order in not publishing the name of the PDP candidate, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, was “a matter of procedure and temporary”.

 

 

“It is on record that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had the most credible party primary ahead of the November 6 Anambra State governorship election,” the statement read. “Most of the aspirants, present at the primary venue on June 26, 2021, spontaneously congratulated Ozigbo once he was declared the winner. They went on to formally publish their congratulations to him as the elected candidate of the party.

 

“We acknowledge that Mr Ozigbo is still reaching out in dialogue to few aspirants who feel aggrieved.

 

At the end of the process, the PDP will emerge as one family under one big umbrella that accommodates everyone. “We confirm that the PDP has forwarded only the name of Mr Valentine Ozigbo as its candidate for the 2021 Governorship Election to INEC. We also confirm that he had submitted his credentials to INEC and that all the procedural necessities that should follow before INEC’s publication of the list of candidates had been completed,” Aziza disclosed.

 

According to Uko, “Mr Valentine Ozigbo appreciates the interests of his teeming supporters and Ndi Anambra as a whole over the current situation. He calls on them to keep faith with the process as all is under control.”

 

She also assured that “the issues will be resolved in no time and open the space for a one-of-a-kind campaign on issues that were top on the minds of Ndi Anambra with regards to their yearnings for transformational leadership that will usher in a new era of peace and progress to the State.”

 

Special Adviser to Gov Willie Obiano on Political matters Bar Ifeatu Obiokoye described the exclusion of Soludo as a temporary set back adding that the Jigawa High Court order obtained by Chukwuma Umoji would not last as a stay of execution and appeal on the matter has commenced in earnest.

 

Obiokoye noted that the publication of Chukwuma Umeoji name by INEC is not a finality noting that the process filed by the Umeoji group had technical defects for not joining the National Chairman Ozo Victor Oyeh President of the United Anambra Youth Assembly U-AYA and United Anambra Women Assembly UAWA Chief Ogochukwu Egolum urged members of the party to remain calm insisting that there is no way Umeoji would lead the party to the November election.

 

He contended that the Jigawa High Court option by the Umeoji faction shows desperation on their part and a display of nativity when matters are pending at another High Court.