From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
The Anyichuks Grassroots Organisation (AGO) has said that Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, popularly known as Anyichuks, remains the authentic People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State.
The group was reacting to recent rulings of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, and the Federal High Court Abakaliki, on the winner of the PDP gubernatorial primaries in the state.
Supporters of the Senator representing Ebonyi Central in the National Assembly and factional gubernatorial candidate of the party in the state, Chief Obinna Ogba, had on Tuesday jubilated that the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had declared Ogba the authentic candidate of the party.
But while they were jubilation another judgement from the Federal High Court in Abakaliki nullifying the election won by Senator Ogba surfaced on social media.
The two court judgements have created confusion and uncertainty in the state.
But the AnyiChuks Grassroots Organisation at a press conference in Abakaliki on Thursday said there was no confusion in the judgements as Odii remained the authentic candidate of the party in the state.
Director of Media and Publicity of Anyichuks Grassroots Organisation and former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in the state, Chief Abia Onyike, insisted that the Appeal Court did not declare Ogba candidate of the party, but only ordered a retrial of the case by the Federal High Court Abakaliki to give Senator Ogba fair hearing.
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“The essence of this meeting is to clear the air on the two important Court Judgements made on Tuesday, the 19th of July, 2022, namely: the Court of Appeal, Abuja and the Federal High Court, Abakaliki.
“Following these two Judgements, it has become more imperative that we inform the general public and our teeming supporters about the true situation of things regarding the two Court Judgements. It is equally important we make it abundantly clear that Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odi remains the authentic Gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party( PDP) in Ebonyi State. This is contrary to the fake news being spread by mischief makers and hired foot-soldiers of falsehood and deceit.
‘First of all, let me draw your attention to the summary of the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered on 19th July, 2022. The Appeal Court remitted the appeal filed by Sen. Obinna Ogba to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to reassign the matter to another Judge of the Federal High Court for re-trial.
“On the other hand, the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki passed another judgement on a related issue. The FHC nullified the Governorship, Senate, House of Reps and House of Assembly Primaries held on the 4th and 5th of June, 2022 which purportedly produced Sen. Ogba and others as PDP candidates for the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi state.
“The Court declared the exercise as unconstitutional, illegal, null and void. The Court held that Sen. Ogba and other PDP aspirants in his lineup made use of fake delegates during the primaries as 90% of the authentic delegates had boycotted the primaries held on the 4th and 5th June 2022.
“Moreover, it was equally held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not monitor the primaries as required by the Electoral Act 2022.
“The Court upheld the authentic PDP primaries conducted on 28th and 29th of May, 2022 which produced Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odi and other candidates elected during the primaries.
“With this development, it means that Sen. Ogba and his fellow travellers have no genuine reason to jubilate as they reportedly did on Tuesday, 19th July 2022. We have gone beyond the stage of mundane/empty propaganda and orchestrated falsehood tailored to deceive the people on the streets,” he said.