An Anambra State High Court has dismissed attempt by the dissolved executive of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state to stop the Professor ABC Nwosu-led State Caretaker Committee from presenting the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Oseloka Obaze to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The suit filed by Barr Afam Afunanya and two others for the recently dissolved Emeakayi-led executive against the Nwosu-led committee, Senator Ahmed Markafi and the National Secretary, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, which came up yesterday in Awka before Justice Clement Okaa was dismissed in line with the Supreme Court decision in the suit involving the PDP and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Okaa who followed the Supreme Court judgment on the matter said, “That the National working Committee has the powers to dissolve all the factional executives in Anambra State; that the PDP has the powers to appoint Caretaker Committee of which Prof ABC Nwosu is the Chairman and Josephine Anenih is the secretary; and that all the actions performed and carried on by the PDP is in line with the party guideline and the constitution.”
Afunnaya had filed an originating summon asking the court to restrain PDP from holding a three-man Ad hoc delegate election and prayed for an injunction restraining the party from conducting the Primary election which latter produced Obaze, or submitting his name to INEC for the November 18 governorship election in the state.
But Clems Ezika representing PDP, Barrister Ernest Nwoye counsel to Markafi and Barrister E. M. Onwuemena, who represented Senator Ndi Obi had filed three different preliminary objections to the suit challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter.
They also filed a counter affidavit to the originating summon in which they contended that the state caretaker committee of the party led by Professor Nwosu as chairman, was properly constituted by the national leadership of the party and had powers to conduct the party’s primaries. The defense counsels urged the court to dismiss the suit.
The trial judge, after considering processes filed by defense counsels, however, dismissed the suit.
Reacting to the judgment, Chairman of the state Caretaker Committee of the party, Prof. Nwosu, said the verdict of the court “is a clear indication that it is God’s intention that PDP Anambra State must be saved, especially since the founding chairman, Dr. Alex Ekwueme is willing to think PDP again.”
He assured that the party executive would do everything to uphold the founding ideal in particular to ensure that the will of the people prevailed as to who governs them.
Nwosu said that the import of the ruling is that all the processes that led to the election of the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Oseloka Obaze, and the submission of his name to INEC, had been upheld while the function of executive had been duly affirmed by the court.
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