The Supreme Court would today rule on the appeal filed by the Ejike Oguebego faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State against the ruling of Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which upheld the decision of the Federal High Court on the faction’s eligibility to field candidates for the 2015 election.
The Federal High Court had ruled that it lacks jurisdiction to dabble into the issue of which of the two factions was the authentic state executive committee of the party to field candidates for the election.
After the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of the Federal High Court, the Oguebego faction headed to the apex court to determine whether in the light of the PDP constitution, the Ken Emeakayi faction was qualified to hold primary election to select candidates for the 2015 election.
The matter gained national attention after the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division on December 7, 2015 sacked the senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial district, Senator Uche Ekwunife, on the grounds that she did not emerge from the Oguebego faction.
Ruling on the appeal filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Victor Umeh, against the judgment of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, the Appeal Court declared that “the 11th respondent, who had denied taking part in the Ejike Oguebego-led factional State Executive of PDP, could therefore not have been properly nominated, since that was the faction that had the primaries monitored by INEC.”
Consequently, the court declared that “the 11th respondent (Ekwunife) was therefore not the product of a valid primary and was therefore not duly and legitimately nominated. That has disqualified her from contesting the election into the Anambra Central Senatorial district.”
The court ordered the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct a rerun election for the senatorial district within 90 days, pointing out that having decided on the qualification of one of Ekwunife, it did not have to look into the other aspects of the disputed election.
