Imo PDP Primary: Court reaffirms order stopping conduct of fresh primaries

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

Meanwhile, attempts by the National Secretary of the Party Sen. Samuel Anyanwu to vacate the interim order failed as the court threatened to nullify any primary election conducted in violation of its order.

On its own part, INEC which is also a party to the Suit has stated that it would abide by the Court order and will not accord any recognition to any ad hoc delegates list or the result of any primary election in the State conducted with any purported Ad Hoc delegates list.

The Commission has also in a letter to the National Chairman of the PDP stated that it would only recognize primary elections results conducted with only statutory delegates.

However, Opposition Coalition Spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere has hailed the Court decision and has urged the party leadership to save Imo PDP from extinction by taking a categorical stand and obey the Court as well as the directives of INEC and call the National Secretary to order and drop all attempts to use the unlawful Ad Hoc delegates list to conduct primaries as doing otherwise may ultimately lead to the party being excluded from the ballot in the State.

It will be recalled that the FCT High Court had on May 6,  2022 restrained both the PDP and INEC from recognizing the outcome of the 3-man ad hoc delegates election of the Party held on 30th April, 2022 or any other date an order the PDP failed to vacate in its application on May 17 leaving the party with no other options but to conduct all its primaries in the state with the statutory delegates.

Justice Bello Kawu granted the preservative order after listening to a motion exparte filed by Chidinma Nancy Uzomba, an aspirant cleared by the PDP to contest the election for Ideato Federal Constituency.

She had 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 one 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 PDP and the INEC from recognising any result emanating from the three-man ad hoc delegates election in Imo State and or including any person(s) purportedly elected in the said three-man ad hoc delegates election held on April 30, 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, recognising 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 three-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 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.