A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State on Tuesday nullified the June 4th and 5th Primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in the State that produced Senator Obinna Ogba as its governorship candidate and upheld the primary of 28th and 29th May 2022
The court, presided by Justice Fatun Riman, upheld the primary of 28th and 29th May 2022 that produced Chief Chukwuma Odii as its governorship candidate for the party.
The Court also restrained the party from refusing to receive and transmit the name of Mr Ifeanyi Ọdịi, who won the cancelled governorship primaries, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of the party for Ebonyi 2023 governorship election.
The PDP National Working Committee(NWC) cancelled the primaries held on the 28th and 29th of May for not following the directives of the party and the committee that presided over it does not form a quorum to hold the primaries.
While the May primary was conducted by the Silas Ọnụ led faction of the party, the rescheduled primary was conducted by the Tochukwu Okorie faction.
Senator Obinna Ọgba won the rescheduled election which the court declared null, void, and illegal.
The party had been enmeshed in a leadership tussle since the State Executive election last year which Mr Tochukwu Okorie was declared the winner.
Mr Silas Ọnụ, who lost to Okorie challenged the outcome in court and in April the Federal High Court in Abuja sacked Okorie and ordered that Ọnụ be sworn in.
But Tochukwu appealed the ruling in court and the appellate court ordered that the status quo existing before the High Court ruling be maintained effectively ousting Mr Onu.
But Mr Ọnụ continued to lay claim to the chairmanship and even went ahead to conduct the primaries of May 28th and 29th week.
The national Leadership midway into the governorship primary election on 29th May announced the cancellation of the primary elections for the state.
But the primaries went ahead and Mr Ifeanyi Ọdịi emerged the winner even though most of the aspirants boycotted or withdrew from the said election.
The party later fixed another primary for the 4th and 5th of June 2023 in which fresh candidates emerged including Senator Obinna Ọgba who emerged winner of the rescheduled governorship election.
Mr Ọdịị however boycotted the said rescheduled election.
But Mr Odii approached the court seeking a declaration that the cancellation or purported cancellation of the Governorship primary election held in Ebonyi State on 29/05/2022 is unlawful, whimsical, capricious, null, void and of no effect in any manner whatsoever for offending the provisions of the electoral law.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune