ANAMBRA 2013: Another Port-Harcourt Court Orders PDP, INEC To Recognize Nwoye

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  • As PDP Suspends Senator Uba, Chief Chris Uba And Associates

  • I Cannot Be Suspended — Chris…

A FEDERAL High Court has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to abide by results of the ward and state congresses supervised by the national secretariat of the party in the selection of its governorship candidate. The ward and state congresses eventually produced Comrade Tony Nwoye as the party’s flag bearer.
The court order is contrary to another interim order obtained earlier this week by the Ejike Oguebego faction of the party compelling the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to accept Senator Andy Uba as the party’s flag bearer. Both orders were issued by different justices of the Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the PDP in a sharp reaction to the increasingly murky legal developments, yesterday, suspended Senator Andy Uba and his junior brother, Chief Chris Uba, from the party. Also suspended were some of the leading associates of the Ubas, among whom were Chief Oguebego, chairman of the Chris Uba led faction, Mr. Benjamin Udeozor, a former chairman of the same faction, and Mrs Anthonia Nwankwu, the Southeast zonal woman leader of the party.
The suspension it was learnt is preceding a plan to expel the five from the party. But in swift reactions, Senator Andy Uba told Vanguard on telephone that he was ignorant of the action while his junior brother, Chris asserted that the party cannot suspend him on the fact that he is presently in court.
The court order on the PDP and INEC obtained by Mr. Paul Azebo and Christopher Obijofor, purportedly delegates from the ward congresses orgnaised by the national secretariat, was got on August 16, ahead of the PDP governorship primaries conducted last Saturday.
The plaintiffs who brought the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP and INEC as defendants prayed the court to compel the defendants to uphold the candidature of whosoever emerged from the governorship primaries supervised by the national secretariat as the candidate of the party.
In the order given by Justice S. A. Aliyu it was ruled that: An Order of interim injunction is hereby made restraining the 1st and 2nd Defendants from adopting, nominating, selecting, holding out, submitting or in whatever manner presenting to the 3rd Defendant any person as candidate of the POP for the Anambra State Governorship election fixed for November 2013 or any other date, except the person that emerged from the POP State Congress/gubernatorial primary election in which the Plaintiffs and other elected ward delegates of the 1st Defendant participated in, having been elected so to do, pending the determination of .the Motion on Notice,
An Order of interim injunction is hereby made restraining the 3rd Defendant from accepting any nomination or recognizing or howsoever dealing with any person as the governorship candidate of the PDP for the forth coming Governorship election in Anambra State, other than the person elected from the State Congress/gubernatorial primary election of the 1st Defendant conducted by the panel set up by the National Working Committee of PDP for the purpose of the said Gubernatorial primary election scheduled to hold on August 24, 2013 or any other date with the list bearing the name of the Plaintiffs and other Ward Delegates that emerged from the ward Congress held on August 12, 2013, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
Justice H. A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt is, today, expected to hear the two sides in the case instituted by the Oguebego faction seeking to compel the PDP to present Senator Uba as the party’s governorship candidate.
Meanwhile, the PDP, yesterday, suspended the two Uba brothers, Oguebego, Uduezor and Nwankwu from the party.
The party in a letter signed by the Acting National Secretary, Dr. Charles Aderemi Akitoye, based the suspensions on the failure of the five to appear before the NWC as directed over the allegation that they conducted parallel congresses of the party against party regulations.
The letter which was addressed individually to them and dated August 29, read: “the National Working Committee, NWC at its 353rd meeting held on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 reviewed the happenings in Anambra PDP regarding the Anambra Primary Election.
“It was noted that you organized a parallel state congress which was unauthorised by the party contrary to section 58 (1) a, b, c, f, h and j of the PDP constitution (2012 as amended). As a result of this, you were invited to meet with the NWC on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 for fair hearing, but you did not appear.
“In view of the seriousness of the issues involved, you are hereby suspended from the party and the case referred to the appropriate Disciplinary Committee for further necessary action”.
Reacting to the development, Chief Chris Uba in a session with newsmen last night said: “I came to Abuja on Wednesday evening from Enugu and I was given a letter from the PDP, and as soon as I read the letter, I knew where they were going to. I did not do the congress and I was not a party chairman in the state.
“So, I rushed to court yesterday (Wednesday) and the court asked us to come on Friday. I was surprised to hear that I have been suspended. I want us to respect democracy and the rule of law. We must protect the rule of law and the judiciary.
“Why the rush in suspending me and the five others? There were more than a million PDP members at the congress. They should have suspended all of us.”

Source: Vanguard 

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