*As Chris Uba’s lawyer writes INEC to issue him certificate of return
The two Senators from Anambra State, Stella Oduah and Andy Uba Monday made a bold appearance in the National Assembly to disprove assertions of their removal from office.
The two senators who were reported by some media channels to have been removed from office on account of the judicial affirmation of the Ejike Oguebego faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also attended their committees’ meetings unhindered.
Following the apex court verdict, Senator Oduah on Friday described as “a misinterpretation”, the media reports which quoted the judgment to have sacked her along with 12 other federal lawmakers from Anambra State.
In a statement, Oduah said that the report in the media was misleading as the apex court did not order the withdrawal of her certificate of return, consequently, she and all the other lawmakers from Anambra State have not been sacked by the Supreme Court contrary to media reports.
“It is pertinent to note that this is a mere misinterpretation of the Supreme Court rulings and should be disregarded in all off its entirety. The Supreme Court did not order the withdrawal of the Certificates of Return issued by the Commission. It did not hold that the other faction of the PDP had the right to sponsor candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),’ she said.
However, on Monday, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), lawyer to the Oguebego faction, wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asking the body to withdraw the certificates of return issued to Andy Uba and Oduah. Uche in the letter also asked the commission to issue certificates of return to the nominees presented by the Oguebego faction in the factionalised state party.
Senator Uba (PDP, Anambra South) attended the meeting of the Senate Joint Committees on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions on Monday while Oduah (PDP, Anambra North) was in her office attending to visitors and her official duties.
Their presence at the National Assembly caught the attention of staff and visitors, following news reports at the weekend of their sack from office on account of the Supreme Court judgment on the supremacy battle between the two factions of the PDP in Anambra State.
The letter from the Oguebego faction addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was titled, “Compliance with judgement of Supreme Court Anambra State PDP National Assembly Candidates SC/37/2015-Ejike Oguebego and Anor vs Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, dated January 29, 2016.
The letter was also copied to the Chairman, Legal Services Committee, INEC Headquarters, Abuja; the Director, Legal Services Department of INEC, Ibrahim Bawa (SAN), and Hassan Liman (SAN), INEC lead counsel.
Uche stated that the effect of the Supreme Court judgment is that those who were not part of the list of candidates produced by the congress/primary elections under the watch of Oguebego and his executive committee ought and must vacate the positions they occupy at present on the grounds that they were not validly nominated.
The names of Chris Ubah, Annie Okonkwo and 42 others were replaced following the appellate court judgment of 6th February 2015, just before the 2015 general elections.
According to Uche, it is the responsibility of INEC to enforce and comply with the judgement, saying there was no other primary election conducted by PDP to produce candidates other than the one that produced his clients.
The letter reads in part: “The effect of the Supreme Court judgment consequently is that all those who were not part of the list of candidates produced by the congress/primary elections that the Ejike Oguebego and his executive committee participated in, and monitored by INEC ought and must vacate the positions they presently occupy having not been validly nominated.
“In the light of the foregoing, we therefore demand that your commission complies promptly with the said judgment of the Supreme Court by issuing forthwith Certificates of Returns to our clients as the authentic and legitimate candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party for Anambra State who won the election, the entire gamut of litigation having been exhausted.
“We look forward to your timely cooperation and compliance.”
A panel of the Supreme Court, last Friday in Abuja, reaffirmed the earlier Federal High Court’s verdict, declaring the Oguebego-led PDP as the recognised executive in Anambra State.
The Oguebego faction had masterminded the National Assembly primaries which threw up a separate list of National Assembly aspirants as candidates of the party for the election. Among them is Chief Chris Uba, the leader of the faction, a brother to Senator Andy Uba who had emerged as Senatorial candidate for Anambra South in rivalry to his brother.
The apex court in its judgment on Friday upheld the earlier decision by Justice Chukwu of the Federal High Court that the Oguebego-led faction is the validly elected leadership of the state chapter of the party.
In December, 2014, the Federal High Court had ruled that it was only the constitutionally recognized state party leadership led by Ejike Oguebego that could organize the party primaries.
-Vanguard
