The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
yesterday postponed indefinitely the Anambra Central senatorial re-run
election scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2016.
Announcing the
postponement at stakeholders’ meeting at the Professor Dora Akunyili
Women Development Centre, Awka, the state Resident Electoral
Commissioner, REC, Dr. Lawrence Azubuike said this followed a court
order obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that it should be
included in the exercise.
Though, the REC did not elaborate,
Vanguard gathered that a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja on Monday
ordered INEC to include the PDP in the rerun election.
INEC bars PDP
INEC
had barred the PDP from participating in the rerun poll following a
Court of Appeal judgment of 7th December, 2015 nullifying the election
of the party’s candidate, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife in the national assembly
election held on March 28, 2015.
Curiously, March 5 will be the
ninetieth- day as the Court of Appeal had on December 7, 2015 directed
INEC to conduct the rerun within 90 days without PDP participating.
But
the PDP approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, praying
INEC to include it in the rerun. The PDP prayer was granted on Monday,
thus necessitating the postponement of the poll indefinitely by INEC.
Reacting
to the judgment, the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA, in the rerun election, Chief Victor Umeh described the Federal
High Court ruling as absurd.
According to him, the principle of
law is that every decision of the court above should bind on all courts
below, arguing that a Federal High Court could not assume jurisdiction
in a matter already decided by the Court of Appeal.
He threatened
to drag the Federal High Court judge that presided over the matter to
the National Judicial Commission, NJC, for what he described as ‘brazen
impunity and misapplication of the law’.
Umeh accused the former
governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi of being the mastermind in all the
plots against him, insisting that “we shall crush him and all his evil
plans.”
Though PDP has not officially announced its candidate for
the re-run, it was gathered yesterday that former Governor, Obi is
being positioned as the PDP consensus candidate.
Former
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism during the Obi
administration, Chief Joe-Martins Uzodike told reporters in Awka that
Obi would be persuaded to join the race.
He said: “Top PDP members
have been mounting pressure on Obi to contest the senatorial election
and the former governor has no option but to oblige. PDP is yet to
submit the name of its candidate for the election and we are pleading
with Obi to run.
“We know that once he is chosen as our
candidate, he will win the election in view of his popularity in the
zone and in the entire Anambra State.”
But the national chairman of
APGA, Chief Victor Oye described PDP’s plan to draft ex-governor Obi
into the rerun poll as a wishful thinking, adding, “we are not afraid of
any person in this election as we have the capacity to crush any
candidate.”
He also argued that since Obi did not participate in
any primary of PDP, he is therefore not even qualified to take part in
the re-run election.
Coalition welcomes postponement
Meanwhile,
a group which calls itself the Anambra Central People’s Coalition
welcomed the postponement, arguing that it was not the first time INEC
would postpone election after fixing a date.
In a statement
signed by the coordinator, Elder Emeka Anazulike, women leader, Mrs.
Rosemary Okeke, among other people, the group wondered why INEC should
rush the election when there were still some unresolved issues
pertaining to the election.
“The postponement will give equal
opportunity to parties that are in court to put their houses in order
before the re-run,” the statement said.
Despite the postponement, the
APGA candidate continued his campaign yesterday in parts of the
senatorial zone, asking the electorate not to be deterred by the
statement that came from INEC.
Recalling materials
In another
development, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has
recalled all the materials already being delivered to Anambra Central
senatorial election earlier scheduled for Saturday back to its
headquarters following the indefinite postponement of the exercise by
the commission.
It was gathered in INEC that the materials being
withdrawn had no PDP logo on them and following the Federal High Court
ruling directing INEC to include the party in the election, the
materials had to be recalled.
Meanwhile, it was gathered
yesterday that INEC has already appealed against the ruling of the
Federal High Court directing the postponement of the election and
inclusion of PDP in the exercise.
Following the development yesterday,, many aspirants started putting up their posters in parts of the senatorial zone.
Some of the candidates who spoke on the matter expressed happiness that they would have more time to campaign.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/anambra-central-re-run-inec-postpones-polls-indefinitely-2/
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