Anambra Election: INEC Excludes Soludo, Ozigbo, APGA Kicks

*Soludo: I’ll still contest and win overwhelmingly

Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Citing obedience to court rulings, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), yesterday dropped Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the unveiled list of candidates for the November 6 Governorship Election in Anambra State.

Meanwhile, APGA, in a swift reaction, protested the INEC decision, alleging that the commission was substituting its duly elected governorship candidate with that of an “impostor, who is desperate to embarrass the party”, even as Soludo boasted that despite not being listed by INEC, he was sure of taking part in the governorship contest in the state, and that he stands to win overwhelmingly.

A Court in Abuja yesterday had issued an order mandating INEC not to publish the name of anyone as the candidate of PDP for November 6 Anambra State governorship election.

This order came as a shock to Ozigbo’s camp, after it was reported the previous day that the restraining order from the state high court Awka, which had earlier stopped the publication of Ozigbo’s name as the candidate of PDP was not renewed by Justice Obiorah Nwabunike after it elapsed.

Sources hinted that Ozigbo’s camp is tensed, given the fact that he was the one who went to court seeking an order to compel INEC not to tamper with his name which was already submitted to INEC on June 2, by the PDP.

Ozigbo also asked the court to grant an order that INEC should publish his name and not that of any other candidate. And that PDP should not tamper with his name which was submitted to INEC on June 2.

But the court turned against him and rather refused to grant his main reliefs and went ahead to block INEC from publishing the name of any candidate of the PDP, pending the hearing and determination of the motion.

Soludo’s travails may not be unconnected with the controversy trailing his nomination as the flag bearer of APGA, which resulted into a lawsuit filed before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

In the originating summons, a chieftain of the party, Okoye Nwabuogo, is seeking an order of court setting aside the election and nomination of Soludo as the party’s candidate for the November election.

The suit dated July 6, 2021, and filed the same day by counsel to the plaintiff, Okoro Nkemakolam, is further seeking an order restraining Soludo from parading himself as the validly or duly elected candidate of the party for the said election.

Listed as defendants in the pre-election suit, are APGA, Prof Charles Soludo and INEC.
While urging the court to invalidate and set aside the entire primary election of the party held on June 23, the plaintiff is equally seeking an order of injunction restraining INEC, listed as 3rd defendant, from accepting the name of or recognising Prof Soludo (the 2nd Defendant), as the candidate of APGA (the 1st defendant), for the Anambra State gubernatorial election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021.

Soludo: I Will Win Overwhelmingly

In a press statement made available to THISDAY in Awka by Soludo Campaign Organisation and signed by Soludo’s media aide, Joe Anatune, he urges his supporters not to despair over the exclusion of his name on the INEC list, urging them to have faith.

Part of the statement read: “Our millions of supporters in Anambra State and elsewhere in the world are advised not to be dispirited by the publication. Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo will participate in the governorship election as the APGA candidate.

“His nomination was strictly in line with the Electoral Law and INEC guidelines. INEC observed the APGA Congress on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, where he was nominated after winning 93.4 per cent of the valid votes cast in a free, fair and transparent manner which was broadcast live on national television networks as part of deepening the democratic process in Nigeria.

“Our team of dedicated and competent legal experts has studied the judgment and confident of overturning it effortlessly. The party is at liberty to nominate the rightful candidate so long as due process is followed. Soludo’s nomination followed due process religiously.”

Soludo said, “Millions of Ndi Anambra are understandably shocked that there are still desperate politicians in the state who want to re-enact the years, which the locusts consumed. They are determined to go to any and every length to acquire power for its own sake.

“We thought that the state had passed the stage where some of its politicians were moving from one end of the country to the other in the dead of the night in search of judicial orders to impose themselves on the people as their rulers, not leaders.”

APGA Kicks

Addressing a press conference at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja yesterday, APGA’s National Chairman, Chief Victor Oye said that some impostors have conspired to cause confusion in APGA and embarass its leadership using INEC.

He said: “There are feelers from INEC that one Jude Okeke and his co-travellers want to infiltrate INEC to publish an aspirant’s name that did not make it through to the primary of APGA and to announce him as the governorship candidate of APGA.”

Oye said that after its primary election was concluded, the party submitted the particulars of the governorship candidate to INEC on July 2, and was duly acknowledged.

He expressed dismay that INEC “is giving credence to some persons, alien to APGA, who had gone to procure a judgement from a Jigawa court to drop our Governorship candidate.”

Oye said that “there is subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Awka directing INEC to maintain the status quo and receive the particulars of Prof. Soludo and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim submitted by his leadership and publish the same.”

The list of candidates cleared for the Anambra Governorship poll consists of those for Accord’s Ekene Nwankwo, Action Alliance’s Doreen Ifeoma Maduka Arisa, African Action Congress’Obi Sylvester Chukwudozie, African Democratic Congress’ Akachukwu Sullivan Mwakpo, Action Democratic Party’s Prince Ume-Ezeoke Afam Luke Douglas and All Peoples Congress’ Emmanuel Andy Uba.

The list also includes those of the All Progressive Grand Alliance’s Chukwuma Michael Umeoji, Allied People’s Movement’s Eze Robinson Chukwuka, Action Peoples Party’s Azubuike Philip Echetebu, Boot Party’s Chika Jerry Okeke, Labour Party’s Agbasimalo Obiora Emmanuel and New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Ohajimkpo Leonard Emeka.

Also on the list are National Rescue Movement’s Adaobi Uchenna Okpeke, Peoples Democratic Party was nil, Peoples Redemption Party has Nnamdi Nwawuo, Social Democratic Party-Ekelem Edward Arinze, Young Progressive Party, Ifeanyi Ubah and Zenith Labour Party has Ugwoji Martin Uchenna.