Anambra: Uba is PDP’s candidate —Court •As party presents certificate of return to Nwoye

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.

Ubah emerges LP standard-bearer
An oil magnate, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah, in Awka, on Wednesday, emerged the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate for the November16 election.

Ubah was declared winner by the national chairman of the party, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, after a voice vote and raising of hands from the 1,137 delegates who participated in the primary.

Nwanyanwu said Ubah was the only aspirant who picked and returned his nomination form on schedule and was, therefore, a sole aspirant of the party for the governorship race.

He said Article 24 of the party’s constitution allowed the selection of a candidate by acclamation, show of hands or through a secret ballot.

“Where you have one aspirant after the close of nomination forms and return, the congress will vote yes or no, and the constitution allowed him to decide how a winner will emerge,” the article stated.

The chairman urged the party members to work for Ubah’s victory at the polls.

“What you have done now is democracy in action and who becomes the governor of Anambra State will be decided by Anambra people and nobody else,” he said.