Anambra 2021: Courts order INEC to recognise Soludo, Uba as APGA, PDP candidates

Senator Ugochukwu Uba of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Prof Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are to run for their respective parties, according to court judgements on Monday.

In their separate judgments on Monday in Awka, Justice Obiora Nwabunike, who presided over the case involving Uba, Valentine Ozigbo and the PDP, said the party erred by using what it called ‘Super delegates’ without vacating the Abuja Court order.

“With the evidence before me and having heard from parties involved in the matter, I rule that Ugochukwu Uba is the duly elected candidate of PDP.

“It’s not for nothing that court judges are called my lords. When a court makes a pronouncement, it must be obeyed no matter how foolish or ugly, it must be obeyed.

“So, it was wrong for the PDP to go ahead to conduct the primary election at the Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre that produced Valentine Ozigbo, with what they called super delegates against a live judgement of a court without overturning the judgement.

“That action cannot be vitiated or mitigated by the argument adduced by defence counsel that party primaries are internal affairs of political parties.

“And I order that Ugochukwu Uba’s name should be enlisted by the INEC without further delay and the defendants should pay a cost of 10 million naira to the applicant,” Justice Nwabunike said

Another High Court presided by Justice CC Okaa reinstated Prof Soludo as the APGA candidate and ordered INEC to publish his name immediately.

The Court also ordered INEC to remove the name of Hon Chukwuma Umeoji already published and ordered him to stop parading himself as candidate of APGA.

The court reaffirmed Victor Oye as the indisputable National chairman of APGA and ordered Edozie Njoku and Jude Okeke to stop parading themselves as National chairmen of APGA.

Punch

July 19, 2021.