Appeal Court voids Anambra PDP candidates’ list

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which upheld the Ejike Oguebego-led Executive Committee as the authentic leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

The appellate court also set aside the Federal High Court’s decision that had voided the Colonel Augustine Akobundo-led caretaker/ad hoc committee established by the PDP to run the affairs of its Anambra chapter.

It further restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting the list of candidates that emanated from the primaries conducted by the caretaker committee.

The court, in two unanimous judgments, upheld the two appeals filed by the PDP and a chieftain of the party, Chukwudi Okasia, against the December 5, 2014 judgments by Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

By the judgments, all the candidates produced in the primaries held by the Oguebego-led committee of the Anambra PDP would no longer be acceptable to INEC until the Supreme Court decides otherwise.

The Court of Appeal, having set aside both judgments by the lower court, struck out the suits on which the judgments were given on the ground that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit that bordered on the party’s internal affairs.

The court held that the power to conduct primaries resides solely with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and not a state executive committee.

Based on the decision of the Federal High Court, INEC had gone ahead to accept the names of Chris Uba, Prince John Emeka and Senator Annie Okonkwo as the PDP senatorial candidates for Anambra South, Anambra North and Anambra Central respectively.

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