One of the contestants for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for Anambra Central Senatorial Disrrict in the last election, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo has said the recent judgment by the Supreme Court on the authentic leadership of the party in Anambra State has not resolved all the issues in contention.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court recognised the Ejike Oguebego-led executive committee of the PDP as the authentic leadership of the Anambra chapter of the party.
But in a statement, Okonkwo said the judgment did not finally resolve the issue of who among the contestants should be issued a Certificate of Return as the duly nominated candidate of the party.
He said for the avoidance of doubt, the judgment is about the validity of an ex-parte order that was procured by Oguebego and others on the matter of the pertinent tussle for the party's leadership in Anambra State.
A mere reading of the context of the judgment, he said, showed that the Supreme Court simply sustained an order "recognising the Ejike Oguebego-led executive committee of the PDP. Part of the statement reads: "With regard to Anambra Central, the judgment did not finally resolve the issue of who, among the PDP contestants, that should be issued a Certificate of Return as the duly nominated PDP senatorial candidate.
"That issue is still pending in Suit No. FHC/1098/14, which I filed following the unlawful refusal to give me the ticket after I scored the highest number of valid votes cast in the only senatorial primary conducted on December 7, 2014 by the National Executive Committee of PDP; and which for that reason, met all the requirements of the party's constitution and guidelines on primaries.
"Affidavits to this effect sworn by NEC-appointed National Assembly Electoral Panel for Anambra, led by Alaye Tremie are before the FHC in the above-mentioned suit.
"The Supreme Court expressly clarified that the instant judgment is not about the competing PDP primaries when it stated clearly that the case was not about the conduct of a primary election nor a dispute over which organ of the political party i.e. the PDP that has the authority and competence to conduct a primary election."
He said the judgment should be enough clarification for anybody who believes otherwise, especially with regard to Anambra Central.
He explained further that the principal issue cleverly distilled by the appellants before the Supreme Court was not who was the authentic Chairman of the party in Anambra or who were the authentic candidates but who should be at the helm between Oguebego and the Caretaker Committee the same Federal High Court had issued injunction against.
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