ANAMBRA GUBER: Andy Uba, Tony Nwoye return to court today for PDP ticket

HEARING in the suit over who gets the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket between Tony Nwoye and Andy Uba for the November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State continues today at the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Ejike Oguebego’s faction of the PDP in Anambra State, which elected Chief Andy Uba as the party’s candidate is in court to challenge the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC, to recognise Ken Emeakayi’s faction which produced Mr. Tony Nwoye as the flagbearer.

While Oguebego is the first plaintiff, Andy Uba is the second.

The presiding judge, Justice H.A. Nganjiwa, while adjourning sitting yesterday, affirmed that today’s hearing would settle on accelerated hearing towards dispensing with the motion on notice and interlocutory injunctions emanating from the case before the originating summon and substantive suit would be considered.

At yesterday’s hearing, Jude Nnodum, counsel to Ejike Oguebego, factional chairman of the Anambra PDP and Andy Uba, plaintiffs in the case, apologised to the judge and the defense team asking for extended time to update and file the necessary documents to reflect the co-joining of the interested party.

On Justice Nganjiwa’s decision to first dispense with the motion on notice and interlocutory objections today, B.C. Igwilo, who held brief for U.I Igweneme, counsel to 3rd and 4th defendants in tune with Mensha N. Kalu, counsel to 1st defendant, contended that it would be improper in view of existing question marks over the jurisdiction of the court.

Justice Nganjiwa, while upholding his decision said: “In view of Order 29 Rule 1, it is not out of place to do away with the interlocutory objections and motion on notice first. After that we can determine and rule on the question of whether the court has jurisdiction or not.”

In a chat with Vanguard after yesterday’s hearing, plaintiffs’ counsel declined opening up on the nature and content of the injunctions to be determined.

“We all have to come tomorrow and hear the plaintiffs out and response from the other side. The matter is going on in court now. If we begin to talk outside of the court, we would be preempting the proceedings. Let’s just wait till tomorrow,” he explained.

Nwoye glimpses prosperous Anambra
PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial Candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye, has urged members of the party to remain steadfast in their collective goal of returning the party to power in Anambra State.

Soludo, Ogene, Odenigbo, Uzoh, Mrs. Ekwunife , Okonkwo, Ndubuisi and Ifeanyi Uba

Speaking at Ukpo in Dunukofia Local Government Area, when party patron, Chief Arthur Eze, presented campaign vehicles and motorcycles to party wards, Nwoye said that the chorus for a peaceful and prosperous state had been answered for good.

Nwoye, who was accompanied by his running mate, Dr. Amamchukwu Ezike said that with the vacation of the court order against his candidacy, there was no going back on winning the election and restoring the state to PDP, where the interest of the people would be better protected.

“Our people are no longer interested in belonging to an unpopular party because that has not helped the state in anyway.

Anambra people have resolved to bring the state back to PDP so that we can enjoy more benefits from the PDP-led Federal Government,” he said.

While calling on those who lost in the PDP primary to join hands with him to rebuild the party and the state, the candidate said that the Anambra of his dream was one that would offer the people greater opportunity for investment and security and engender development.

Apart from the presentation of several campaign vehicles and motorcycles to Nwoye’s campaign team, Prince Eze also used the occasion to celebrate this year’s New Yam festival which witnessed the traditional roasting of newly harvested yams that were eaten with red palm oil as well as pounded yam and other delicacies specially prepared for the event.

APC primaries: Ngige faults election observers’ comment
SENATOR Chris Ngige, the Anambra State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on election observation and monitoring in Nigeria over its comment on the outcome of the recent governorship primaries of the APC in the state.

The election observer group had, through its national coordinator, Chief Dominic Alfred and secretary, Comrade Friday Maduka, called for the cancellation of the exercise in view of alleged malpractices.

But in his reaction to the issue, Mr. Tony Icheoku, media aide to the senator, said the objective of the group’s comment was to create confusion, misinform the public and impugn the free, fair and transparent direct delegates primaries held by the APC on September 2, 2013 to elect its governorship candidate, Senator Chris Ngige.

According to Icheoku, the body’s attempt to smear the primaries held in the 326 wards in Anambra State was most regrettable and condemnable.

He said: “The Ngige 2014 campaign organization queries the locus of this so -called observation and monitoring body to call for rerun of APC primary when there has been no complaint from Chief Godwin Ezeemo, who contested with Ngige and who had accepted the outcome of the primary, and urged his supporters to work with Ngige.

“We hereby urge the Independent National Electoral commission, INEC, and the security agencies to check the activities of such shadowy groups whose objectives seem to be to cause confusion and overheat the polity for ulterior and selfish motives.

‘’There is no election that does not have its lapses, but where its magnitude does not overshadow the overall result, the outcome is always accepted by the parties concerned, or the party which does not accept such results usually petitions its outcome.

‘’But in this case, Chief Ezeemo has accepted the outcome and we wonder what is the interest of the so-called observation and monitoring body’s interest and reason for casting aspersion on the APC primary.

“From the report of the APC’s national monitoring committee, which supervised the primary, there were incidents of violence in a ward in Awka North local government area which has 14 wards; election was also not held in three wards out of the 18 wards of Orumba North LGA. There was equally no election in one ward out of the 16 wards of Ogbaru LGA’s 16 wards; also, result was nullified in Idemili LGA.

“The above were the only incidents of irregularities as announced by the wards returning officers.  Ezeemo was present when this result was announced and he told journalists that they were acceptable to him despite the unavoidable hiccups.

‘”We hereby urge this group to cease its campaign of calumny and also urge the security agencies to be alert in their duties and checkmate all such faceless groups being used as mercenaries to cause confusion in the November 16 election.”