A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) has barred the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) from using the disputed result of the 3-man adhoc delegates election for the state which were not conducted in the election of candidates.
Justice Bello Kawu granted the preservative order in a motion exparte filed by Mrs. Chidinma Nancy Uzomba, an aspirant cleared by the PDP to contest the election for Ideato Federal Constituency, Sunnews reports.
She approached the court following the alleged stealing of the result sheets of the two Local Government Areas by Chief of Staff to PDP National Secretary Sam Anyanwu and non-conduct of the delegates elections in the entire state and the controversy of a list being pushed by the National Secretary of the Party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu as delegates for the election.
In the suit No: FCT/HC/BW/CV/1450/2022, the claimant listed the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
The motion was accompanied by an affidavit of urgency deposed to by Maliki Sylvanus from the law firm of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
Justice Kawu after listening to submissions by counsel to the claimant, Daniel Edachi further restrained the Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from recognizing any result emanating from the 3-man ad hoc delegates election in Imo State and or including any person(s) purportedly elected in the said 3-man ad hoc delegates election held on the 30th day of April, 2022 or any other date from voting or participating in the election of the candidates of PDP for elective offices in the forthcoming primary election of the party pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
The Judge also granted an order restraining the PDP from allowing, recognizing or giving effect to any purported delegates emanating from the stolen and or missing result sheets of Ideato North and Ideato South Local Government Areas 3-man ad hoc delegates election to vote in the primary election of the PDP in both Local Government Areas for the purpose of electing candidates for the 2023 general elections pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
The order further bars INEC from accepting from the PDP any list of candidates from Imo State who emerge from any primary election held with the list of the ill-fated delegates list.
By this ruling, the Court has barred the PDP from conducting any other 3-man ad hoc delegates election and therefore leaves the party only with the option of conducting its primaries in the state with only the statutory delegates list.
Lawyers who hailed the judgment as an end to impunity in party politics said that all the 27 House of Assembly, 10 House of Representatives and 3 Senatorial candidates of the Party risk being disqualified and excluded from the election id the PDP does not strictly obey the orders of the Court as that was the fate that befell the APC in Rivers State which led to the Supreme Court excluding all its candidates from participating in the 2019 general election for not obeying an order of Court.
Also, leading House of Representatives aspirant for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency and opposition coalition spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere described the judgment as victory for rule of law and a second chance for the PDP to save itself from technical exclusion.
The judge also granted accelerated hearing in the Suit, ordered abridgment of time for parties to file their processes and adjourned the matter to May 13, 2022 for hearing.
