Ogba receives return ticket
By Bevelyn Ehia, Abakaliki
The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Tuesday nullified the 4th and 5th June 2022
Primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ebonyi State, which had produced Senator Obinna Ogba as the guber candidate.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP had issued Senator Obinna Ogba with certificate of return as the Governorship candidate of the party, alongside other House of Assembly candidates and National Assembly candidates.
But the election was declared null and void by Justice Fatun Riman.
The sitting presided by Justice Riman authenticated the primaries of 28th and 29th May 2020 that produced Chief Ifeanyichukwuma Odii as the Governorship candidate of the party.
May 28th and 29th, 2022 elections was cancelled by the NWC of the party, which rescheduled another primaries 4th and 5th June 2022.
The party argued that the primary elections of 28th and 29th of May 2022 did not comply with the party’s guidelines adding that the primary election committee members were not properly constituted.
Mr. Odii who did not take lightly the
cancellation, approached the Federal High Court Abakaliki asking the court to declare the cancellation of the primaries election of 28th and 29th of May 2022 as illegal, null and void.
During the Court process, Barr. Mudi Erhenede who is the Counsel to Chief Odii, urged the court to declare that the cancellation of the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship primary election held in Ebonyi State on 29/05/2022 is unlawful, null and void and of no effect in any manner whatsoever for offending the provisions of the said extant laws referred to.
According to the process, “the counclsel also urged the court to declare that the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party cannot upturn the valid decisions of the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee without holding a valid meetings of the said organs of the party for that purpose”.
“A declaration that the Independent National Electoral commission cannot blindly comply with the cancellation or purported cancellation of the Governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party held on 29/05/2022 In Ebonyi State for offending the provisions of the said
extant lows referred to above”.
However, Counsel to the defendant prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1 defendant (PDP) from purporting to cancel otherwise tampering with or upturning the outcome
of the Governorship Primary election held in Ebonyi State on 29/05/2022.
The plaintiff also seek for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1 Defendant from refusing to receive or transmit the name of the Plaintiff/Applicant to the 2 Defendant (NEC) as its governorship candidate for Ebonyi State.
Others include, an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1 Defendant (PDP) from rescheduling or fixing any other date for its Governorship other than that scheduled and already held by it in Ebonyi State on 29/05/2022.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barr. Erhenede also seek for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 2 Defendant (INEC) from monitoring any other Governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party in
Ebonyi State after that of 29/05/2022.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Riman granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.