Tag: Anambra

A’Court sets aside judgement sacking Anambra PDP EXCO

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the judgement of Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, which sacked the Executive Council of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

Delivering Judgement over two judgements brought before the court on Friday, the three-man panel led by Justice Stephen Adah upheld the appeals filed against the judgement of the lower court.

Samuel Anyakolah had filed a suit at the FCT high court Abuja, claiming that the PDP, arbitrarily imposed the state chairman, Exco and other national delegates on members in its South-East zonal Congress of March 6, 2021.

Consequently, Justice Adeniyi of the FCT High Court ruled that the PDP violated its constitution in the conduct of the congress, and the appointments made, thereafter.

He further declared that all congresses and designations made by the PDP were nullified and set aside.

But ruling on the case on Friday, Justice Adah of the Court of Appeal held that the lower court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to have heard the suit brought before it on the dispute over the leadership of the PDP in Anambra State.

July 30, 2021
Anambra 2021: Obiano vows to make Soludo his suceessor

Anambra Governor Willie Obiano has vowed to make former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Prof Charles Soludo his successor.

He spoke on Wednesday at the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport at Umueri after his three-week vacation abroad.

Obiano landed with a private jet at the airport exactly by 11.45am and was received by Anambra lawmakers led by Speaker Uche Okafor.

Addressing the crowd that came to welcome him, Obiano said Soludo would be the next Governor.

He left the State immediately after the primary conducted by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka that produced Soludo as candidate.

Since then, the party had been enmeshed in crisis with two candidates produced for the November 6 election.

But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had refused to recognise Soludo as the candidate.

Instead, the Commission published Chukwuma Umeoji as the candidate based on a High judgement from Jigawa State.

Obiano described the omission of Soludo’s name on the INEC list as a ‘mistake’, which he said would be corrected soon.

The Governor said: “Prof. Soludo is the next Governor of Anambra State as issues about APGA crisis will be a thing of the past soon”.

He assured of delivery of the Anambra International Airport in record time, saying “I feel fulfilled to have a test of my legacy project- the airport this day.”

July 28, 2021
Anambra 2021: New twist as two High Courts order INEC to recognise Soludo, Uba as APGA, PDP candidates

Two High Courts in Anambra have directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the names of two governorship candidates for the November 6 election without further delay.

They are: Senator Ugochukwu Uba of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Prof Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

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.

July 19, 2021
Soludo, PDP missing as INEC releases list for Anambra governorship poll

The name of Prof. Charles Soludo is conspicuously missing as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the list of candidate for the November 6 governorship poll in Anambra State.

Rather INEC listed the names of Chukwuma Michael Umeoji as the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while Urogbu Obiageli Lilian was listed as the deputy governor.

INEC said it listed the name of Umeoji and Urogbu based on court order.

Soludo had emerged winner of the primary election conducted by the Governor Willie Obiano faction of APGA.

Also, the commission did not list the name of any candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP both for governorship and the deputy governorship based on court order.

National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission considered and took cognisance of the judgments/court orders served on it in relation to the primaries of the political parties and other processes leading to the election.

“In line with section 31 (3) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) the personal particulars of the candidates will be published in the commission’s notice board in Awka, Anambra State while the names of the candidates, their gender, party, age, qualification and the Commission’s decision/remark are herein attached,” he said.

In all 17 political parties, excluding the PDP, which had no candidate are fielding candidates for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

July 16, 2021
Photos: Masked gunmen strike again in Anambra, kill three police officers, injure two others

From Chuks Collins, Awka

There seems not to be any reprieve yet from the flash-like operations of the usually heavily armed masked men who have come to be known in local parlance as the ‘Unknown Gun Men’ (UGM).

They struck again at the popular Ekeagu Abatete market intersection in Idemili North Council of Anambra state few hours ago.

Though it was unclear the number of vehicles they arrived with, but they left three persons suspected to be police officers dead, three vehicle burnt and yet another vehicle with its interior contents scattered.

An eye witness account told reporters who arrived the location shortly after they drove off in flashlight fashion that they wore black masks, dressed in all black jeans trousers and t-shirts.

Witnesses also noted that they sounded kind and humane on arrival when they told visibly agitated bystanders to go about their businesses peacefully, that they didn’t come for them.

But that all that changed after they set one of the vehicles they arrived with, a Honda Ridgeline double cabin pick-up, on fire and were about driving off.

A three-vehicle convoy that suddenly arrived the scene from Ideani end of the intersection quickly caught their attention. That was when the nozzles of their guns roared again and again, and again, the eyewitnesses noted.

The local vigilante operatives were said to have stormed the scene few minutes after, because “we heard the gunshots and rushed to investigate”, one of them stated.

They quickly evacuated two of the victims who were still breathing to hospital.

The UGM were said to have set the Honda pickup which was among the vehicles they came with on fire, set two others including a police patrol vehicle recently donated by the Anambra state government on fire too. In fact one of the killed policemen was completely burnt under the patrol vehicle. It was only the Sienna van that was not torched.

At that point when the guns started blazing and bullets started ringing out, all hell were reportedly let loose and the entire crowded Ekeagu Abatete area became a theatre of confusion as people started running in all directions without waiting to know what was happening or to think of where they were actually running to!

Nursing mothers, shops, retailers, keke operators, Okada riders, their passengers and potential passengers, shoppers, roasted corn sellers by the roadsides, fruits sellers, POS operators, commuter buses, dry cleaners, etc all ran away.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Police Command was yet to issue a statement confirming the attacks as at the time of filing this story.

July 14, 2021
Anambra guber: Ekwunife congratulates Ozigbo on emergence as PDP flag bearer

Senator Uche Ekwunife, representing Anambra Central in the Senate, has congratulated Mr Valentine Ozigbo on his emergence as the PDP flag bearer for the November 6 governorship election in the state.

Ekwunife in a statement on Sunday in Awka, called for formidable unity among party members so that PDP would emerge winner in the governorship election.

Ozigbo polled 62 votes to defeat other aspirants and emerged as the party’s candidate during the primaries held at Prof Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka, on Saturday.

Another faction of the party had also elected Sen. Ugochukwu Uba as PDP’s candidate at Paul University playground, Awka.

The senator commended the party leadership, stakeholders and members for ensuring a peaceful primary election.

He urged all party faithful to support Ozigbo’s candidature in the interest of the party and the people of the state.

“I wish to congratulate the winner of the governorship primary election of our great party, PDP, and I join millions of party faithful to give glory to God for granting us a peaceful nomination process.

“In every democratic contest there must be a winner, and as far as our governorship primary election is concerned, a winner has emerged.

“I commend our party leadership headed by the cerebral National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and those who played part in the processes culminating in the primary election,” she said.

Ekwunife appreciated her campaign organisation and support groups; the delegates; Mr Peter Obi, former Governor of the state; Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Sen. Stella Oduah, for their exemplary leadership and support.

“Even though we lost in terms of numerical votes, we won the hearts of the people.

“I wish to state that my desire to seek ways to address the developmental challenges of our people and ameliorate the sufferings of millions of residents remain unshaken.

“As our party, PDP goes into a very critical election which will determine our collective future as a people, I wish to remind the people that PDP remains the best choice for the state.

June 28, 2021
No primary held in Anambra – 11 APC aspirants

Eleven of the 14 governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra have said the June 26 governorship primary in the state did not hold.

Dr George Muoghalu, spokesperson for the aspirants, made the position of the group known in a press conference on Saturday in Awka.

Muoghalu said that in all the 326 electoral Wards of the state, people came out, but were disappointed, saying that none of the APC team saddled with the responsibility to conduct the primary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were seen.

Muoghalu, the Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and one of the aspirants, said anybody who claimed that there was primary is fraudulent and did not wish APC well in the November 6 election.

Paul Orajiaka and Edozie Madu, both aspirants, corroborated the position of Muoghalu and warned that the era when one man would come up with fake figure to claim victory is over.

The aspirants, however, appealed to the party leadership to come up with a fresh date for the Anambra primary to ensure that the party beat the deadline in the Electoral Act.

Other aspirants at the event were Johnbosco Onunkwo, Ben Etiaba, Amobi Nwaokafor, Chidozie Nwankwo, Geoffo Onyjegbu, Azuka Okwuosa, among others.

June 27, 2021
BREAKING: Valentine Ozigbo wins PDP ticket for Anambra governorship poll

The immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, Valentine Ozigbo on Saturday, June 26, 2021, emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Anambra governorship election after winning the party’s primary held at the Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka.

Announcing the results, the head of the electoral panel, His Excellency Philip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, revealed that Ozigbo polled a total of 62 to win the primary.

He led his nearest contender, Dr Obiora Okonkwo, who scored 58 votes and Senator Uche Ekwunife who polled 44 votes.

Of the 16 aspirants who obtained the PDP nomination and declaration of interest forms, 12 aspirants were present at the venue and participated in the voting process.

The Anambra governorship election is billed to hold on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

June 26, 2021
Anambra PDP Primary: CSO cautions Col. Akobundu over alleged plot to manipulate Automatic Delegate list

A civil society group, the Civil Society Committee for Anambra Election Security (CISCAES), has accused Col Austin Akobundu, the National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of attempting to alter the list of ‘automatic delegates’ for the party’s primary in Anambra State scheduled for Saturday, June 26, 2021.

On Thursday, June 25, 2021, the National Working Committee of the PDP announced that only automatic delegates would carry out the party’s primary ahead of the November 6 governorship election, a fallout of a court judgment obtained by Chief Chris Ubah, a party stalwart.

In a letter signed by Comrade Kennedy Iyere, the coordinator of CISCAES, and issued on Friday, June 25, 2021, the group said it had received worrisome reports of an unlawful adulteration of the list of the automatic delegates assigned to participate and vote in the PDP primary.

CISCAES accused Col Akobundu and some corrupt members of the PDP, both in Anambra and at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, of making efforts to influence and pre-determine the outcome of the election illegally. According to the group, the move is motivated by financial gratification from an unnamed aspirant.

“This undemocratic practice is unacceptable; hence this letter is being written and presented to the general public, in protest against the office of the National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, headed by Col. Austine Akobundu (rtd). On the honour of your office, as the National Organizing Secretary (NOS), CISCAES hereby request that the fake names be immediately removed from the list,” the letter read.

The group said Col Akobundu’s antics follows a pattern seen in the recently-held ad-hoc ward congress where he conspired with corrupt stakeholders in Anambra State to manipulate the process unjustly.

CISCAES further warned Col Akobundu’s action, if unchecked, would be met with a mass protest of the NGOs/CSOs.

“These pranks have got to stop now, save your name from the mud. Remove those fraudulent names from the list because you know how the names were generated. I will end this protest letter, by quoting the great Bob Marley, when he said ‘You can’t fool some of the people all of the time’. This time around, we are not ready to be fooled,” Comrade Iyere added.

Read the full letter below:

June 25th, 2021

ANAMBRA 2021: OPEN PROTEST LETTER TO COL. AUSTINE AKOBUNDU AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC

CISCAES is a security watchdog designed to promote a safe, peaceful and credible electoral process for the forthcoming 2021 Anambra guber-poll. The core objective behind the creation of CISCAES, is to checkmate existing or potential threats of violent conflicts, fraud, insecurity and other forms of illegalities by monitoring and reporting the unethical conducts of political parties, aspirants or candidates and their key stakeholders or supporters.

CISCAES had received with sadness, complaints of proven reports from various key PDP stakeholders across several Local Governments of Anambra State, stating the ugly reality of the unlawful adulteration of the list of the Automatic Delegates, assigned to participate and vote in the Party’s Primary of Anambra PDP, being scheduled for tomorrow 26th June, 2021, ahead of the forthcoming November guber-pool.

This is yet another fraudulent step, being taken by some corrupt members of the PDP, both in Anambra State and in the Party’s Secretariat in Abuja, in the efforts to illegally influence and pre-determine the outcome of the election in favour of their own preferred “Aspirant”, which of course, is based on the financial gratification they have received from the “Aspirant”. This undemocratic practice is unacceptable; hence this letter is being written and presented to the general public, in protest against the Office of the National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, headed by Col. Austine Akobundu (rtd). On the honour of your Office, as the National Organizing Secretary (NOS), CISCAES hereby request that the fake names be immediately removed from the list.

I am sure you are aware of what is happening with the list. There is no way you can claim ignorance of it. This time around, we won’t allow it happen, like it was with the CISCAESAd-hoc delegates primary, held last week. Col.Austine Akobundu (rtd), by this open letter, you have been indicted of conniving with corrupt stakeholders in Anambra State, to unjustly manipulate and adulterate the list of the Automatic Delegates, assigned to participate and vote in the Party’s Primary holding tomorrow 26th June, 2021. Unless you remove the names, there will be a mass protest of the NGOs/CSOs under CISCAES, against you and your Office for the obvious fraud, being perpetrated. You promised me on several occasions, that the Primaries will be free, fair and credible. But those promises ended up as “mere empty words”, what a shame!

These pranks have got to stop now, save your name from the mud. Remove those fraudulent names from the list because you know how the names were generated. I will end this protest letter, by quoting the great Bob Marley, when he said “You can’t fool some of the people all of the time”. This time around, we are not ready to be fooled.

June 25, 2021
JUST IN: Court nullifies PDP delegate congress in Anambra

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama has nullified the elections held by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State on June 10 and 11 to elect a three-man ad-hoc ward delegate that would participate in the voting at the primary of the PDP scheduled for June 26, 2021.

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, in a ruling, held that all activities engaged in by the party after the court’s June 9, 2021 judgment sacking the Anambra PDP’s Executive Council (EXCO), including the June 10 and 11 elections, were null and void because they were done in violation of orders contained in the judgment.

Justice Adeniyi also rejected the request by the PDP and two of its chieftains – Chief Ndubisi Nwobu and Barr. Uchenna Obiora – for an order staying the court’s June 9 judgment.

In the ruling on the three applications by the PDP, Nwobu and Obiora, Justice Adeniyi held that they failed to make out a case to warrant the grant of their application that sought to stay the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.

Justice Adeniyi came down hard on the applicants for denigrating the court in their reaction to the judgment and proceeded to hold that they did not show that the non-staying of the judgment would either render their appeals nugatory or make it impossible for the party to conduct its primary for the forthcoming governorship election.

He said: “The first applicant (the PDP), which is the principal party, has maintained in the face of this court that its judgment is null and void for want of jurisdiction. The same party cannot, at the same time, seek equitable reliefs from the same court.

“A party that has no regard for the judgment of a court and described it in derogatory terms to the whole world, as shown in Exhibit C, cannot quietly return to the same court to seek equitable relief to stay the same judgment that it defied and defiled.

“An assessment of the totality of the circumstances that have been presented before me by the instant applications leads to only one conclusion, which is that the applicants do not have an iota of respect for the authority of this court, they issued a release to embolden their members not to reckon with the judgment of the court and followed it up by taking of definite contemptuous steps in disregard of the court’s judgment.

“For them to come back with a motion for stay of execution and injunction pending the determination of their appeal, in my view, is a clear afterthought. I there say that no court worth its authority will grant any such application, no matter how well presented and argued,” Justice Adeniyi said.

The June 9 judgment, which they sought to stay, was on a suit marked: HC/CV/774/2021 filed by Samuel Anyakolah (for himself and all local government chairmen and ward executives that emerged from the Anambra PDP congress conducted on November 28 and December 1, 2017 under the supervision of Sir Chukwudi Umeaba, as Acting Chairman State Caretaker Committee).

The judge agreed with the plaintiff/claimant that the PDP violated its constitution in the conduct of the Southeast zonal congress of March 6, 2021 and the appointments made therein.

He declared among others, that “all congresses, designations or appointments made by the first defendant (the PDP), with respect to the positions of the state chairman, EXCO members and local government chairmen, as contained in pages 14,15 and 16 of the Southeast zonal congress brochure of 6th March 2021 are hereby nullified and set aside.”

The judge ordered the PDP to henceforth, recognise and adopt only the list of the already inaugurated party officers and delegates that emerged from the Anambra PDP congresses conducted on November 28, 2017 and December 1, 2017 validated by Senator France Bent Ward Congress Appeal Panel report and Barrister Ukpai Ukairo Local Government Appeal Panel report, under the supervision of Sir Chukwudi Umeaba, who shall continue to act in the capacities for which they were duly elected.

June 24, 2021