The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to its exclusion from the list of candidates for the Anambra Governorship election.
In a list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, the PDP had no candidates.
In reaction, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, last night, said “for us in the PDP, we have a candidate for the Anambra State governorship election in the person of Valentine Ozibo.
“We had a very transparent party primary witnessed by INEC officials and he emerged as the candidate,” he said.
Recall that the electoral umpire had dropped the candidate of the party, Ozigbo.
INEC national commissioner and the chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the decision was based on obedience to a court order.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja had on Thursday ordered INEC to suspend the moves to publish any name as the governorship candidate of the party in the November poll.
In his ruling on an ex parte application filed by one of the aspirants laying claim to the PDP’s ticket, the judge, Yusuf Halilu, directed INEC to maintain the status quo by not publishing any name as the party’s candidate in deference to ongoing proceedings.
“I also further order that status quo shall be maintained by INEC by not publishing the name of any candidate as the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the order of the court read in part.
Ozibo and Ugochukwu Uba had emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidates from parallel primary elections.
Both are laying claim to the party’s ticket ahead of November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State.
