An Awka Federal High Court presided over by Hon
Justice I. B. Gafai would on Thursday determine the fate of all the candidates
of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Anambra State in the coming general
election, particularly Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South).
This scenario was coming on the heels of the
barring of candidates of the APC in Zamfara and Rivers States from
participating in the coming general election by the INEC.
One of the key senatorial aspirants of APC in
Anambra South zone, Chief Azuka Okwuosa, had approached the court seeking an
order to stop the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) from submitting, accepting and recognising Senator Uba's name as a candidate
for the senatorial zone in the coming election.
Okwuosa, in
a 7-paragraph writ submitted to the court in support of his argument, declared
that the party did not hold any primary election for the selection of any
candidate whatsoever in the senatorial zone.
Attached also was a formal protest letter he wrote
to the party's national chairman dated Oct 8, 2018 in which he lamented the
failure of the party to send a committee to the zone for the conduct of the
anticipated senatorial primary election on or before the Oct 7,2018 deadline
set by INEC, despite all his prior warnings and notices.
Receipt of the letter was copiously acknowledged by
the office of the national chairman of the party, with the "Received"
stamp carefully appended together with the date and signature of the staff.
He also backed his claims with visual media
presentation of a press conference he had on Oct 7.
Among the claims of Chief Okwuosa against the APC (1st
defendant), INEC(2nd defendant) and Uba(3rd defendant ) include among others
"a declaration that the first defendant did not hold any primaries for the
nomination of its senatorial candidate for Anambra South Senatorial district on,
Oct 7 2018 or any other date whatsoever anywhere in Anambra State.
"A declaration that the second defendant is
duty bound to enforce the Electoral Act, 2010(as amended) and the APC
guidelines.
"A declaration that the submission of the name
of the third defendant-Senator Andy Uba by the first defendant (APC)to the
second defendant(INEC)as its candidate for the Anambra South Senatorial
District in the 2019 general election is wrongful and a violation of the
constitution and guidelines of APC and section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010(as
amended).
"An order of injunction restraining the second
defendant from accepting any name whatsoever from the first defendant as its
candidate for the Anambra South Senatorial election until a proper primary
election is held in strict compliance with the constitution and guidelines of
APC and section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010(as amended)."
Okwuosa in the letter to the party's national
chairman, stated also that: "I am under no obligation to the party
whatsoever to accept the imposition of Senator Andy Uba as the senatorial
candidate for Anambra South having breached the laid down procedures, more
particularly for want of primary election."
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