S’Court Verdict: Confusion, As Anambra Lawmakers Fates Hang In The Balance.

  
The Anambra state political atmosphere has been enveloped in a haze since last week, following the judgement of the Supreme Court on the leadership tussle rocking the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The major source of controversy has been the effect of the apex court’s decision on the members of both the National and State House of Assembly elected on the party platform during last year’s general election.
While some political analysts are of the strong view that all the lawmakers elected under the PDP platform in the state to the National and State Assemblies have been swept off their seats by virtue of that Supreme Court decision, some others disagree with the ruling of the highest court in the land on the ground that it did not make any reference to the law-makers’ seats at all.
Based on an appeal brought before it by the Chief Ejike Oguebego-led factional leadership of the PDP in Anambra State, the apex-Court had last ruling against the judgement of the Court of Appeal which nullified a verdict of a Federal High Court, declaring Oguebego faction as the authentic leadership of the party in the state. The apex court over-ruled the appellate court and affirmed the Oguebego leadership as the authentic PDP leadership in the state.

Meanwhile, the Federal High Court had ahead of the last year general election, not only declared the Oguebego-led Anambra state Executive Committee as the legally recognized leadership of the party in the state, but also directed the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) it deal with it pertaining to any issue that concerns the PDP in the state for the general elections. The Court had particularly declared illegal, null and void, a Caretaker Committee set up by the National Executive Committee (NWC) of the PDP to oversee the affairs of the party in the state during the period preceding and shortly after the general election.

The Federal High Court also declared illegal the primary conducted by the Ad-hoc Committee mandated by the NWC of the PDP which produced list of the PDP candidates for National and State Assembly elections submitted to the INEC for the general election, which list replaced the one submitted to the INEC which emanated from the primaries organized by the Oguebego-led leadership.

The list of candidates produced by the PDP NWC Adhoc Committee is made up of those currently occupying the seats in both the National Assembly and State Assembly on the party’s platform. Some of the lawmakers include, Senators Andy Uba (Anambra South), Stella Oduah (Anambra North), Hon. Chris Azubuogu (Nnewi-North/Nnewi-South/ Ekwusigo federal Constituency, Anayo Nebe (Awka-North/ Awka-South), Lynda Ikpeazu(Onithsa-North/ Onitsha-South) and Hon. Chukwuka Onyema (Ogbaru), among others.

On the other hand, the list of the PDP candidates produced by the Oguebego leadership which was submitted to the INEC for the Appeal Court order had Chief Chris Uba, younger sibling of Senator Andy Uba as the PDP candidate for Anambra South senatorial District, Chief John Emeka for Anambra North Senatorial district, Chief Emma Nweke for Awka-North/Awka-South Federal constituency, among others.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, those candidates of the PDP favoured by the Oguebego leadership, including the younger Uba, Chief John Emeka, Chief Emma Nweke have called on INEC to quickly retrieve the Certificate of Returns it issued to those who replaced them as PDP candidates in their respective constituencies and issue same to them as the bonafide candidates of the PDP who actually won those seats.

But those occupying the seats, including Senator Andy Uba, Oduah dismissed the claims against their seats insisting that the Supreme Court decision did not affect their election. Their argument is that the decision of the Supreme Court only bordered on the tussle over the Executive Committee of the PDP in the state. Besides, they argue that they were not made parties in the Appeal brought before the Supreme Court, so, they could not have been affected by a judgment on a matter that they were not parties to.
This is why in spite the verdict of the Supreme Court which relieved them of their jobs, the duo of Senators Andy Uba and Stella Oduah were said to have been spotted within the National Assembly moving from one office to the other, conducting legislative businesses and attending committee functions on Monday. Reports had it that Senator Uba in particular was spotted at the meeting of the Senate Joint Committees on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, while Senator Uduah was cited visiting different offices and attending to files when our correspondent sneaked into her office.
Their presence at the National Assembly was said to have caught the attention of staff and visitors, who have been following political developments in Anambra State. For the, the decision of the seem ambiguous and is not the kind of verdict that should stop them from carrying out their legislative duties.

The Oguebego state executive was actually elected on March 17, 2012. But few days after its inauguration, a faction of the state executive committee of the PDP led by Chief Emma Mbamalu sprang up and went to the Federal High Court where it filed a suit claiming that it is the authentic leadership of the party in the state. The legal tussle was still raging when the Ken Emeakayi-led Caretaker Committee was inaugurated by the party’s NWC.

Another state congress of the party was later to be held and Emeakayi emerged Chairman of the party state Executive Committee. The PDP national team that superintended that congress was headed by a veteran journalist, Mr. Ike Abonyi. The congress was adjudged as the most peaceful, freest and most credible exercise the party had ever held in the state.

On its part, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the Supreme Court’s decision as critical in flogging the PDP in the state imbibing true democratic culture and jettisoning the undemocratic practice of fielding multiple candidates in a constituency during election. The state Executive Committee of the APC, also, in the statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Okelo Madukife, however expressed regret that the conduct of the PDP in the state had always portrayed the state in bad light.

APC statement reads in part: “Our great party reacts to the fallouts in the verdict of the Supreme Court judgment of January 29, 2016 in an appeal filed by Chief Ejike Ogeuebego and others against Peoples Democratic Party and others with mixed feelings. On one hand, we are happy that the Anambra State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who for 14 years have made impunity, factionalization and parallel candidature their favourite pastime and modified mischief for rigging elections in Anambra State are being caught up in their web, by weapons progressively used against other political parties for many years in Anambra State.

“On the other hand, we are not happy that PDP is trying to drag down the whole state to share in the punishment for its self-destruction. We see hope that a problem highlighted is a problem solved and note that hope is in sight that the issue of parallel candidature, a deliberate but punitive strategy of PDP on the voter population of Anambra State has now been highlighted to the point where it needs to be solved for all times.
“We made similar calls in February 2015 when it became clear that eight PDP members were claiming three candidature positions for the Senate for instance in the state and a PDP stalwart confessed on the strategy of using multiple candidates to cheat other parties. We were then appalled that the National leadership of PDP, rather than solve the problem was stoking the fire for its own ends which served everything, but the interest of Anambra State and the nation”.

Expressing regrets over the manner the PDP had conducted its internal affairs which had always portrayed the state at large in bad light, the state leadership of the APC stated: “It is a story not too pleasant to the ears of present and future generations of Anambra State citizens that at a time when the historic budget of change that clearly departs from oil to non-oil sectors in emphasis, which holds out extended promises for the economy of Anambra State, nay Nigeria is being considered, there are arguments for and against a college of Anambra State federal legislators leaving the National Assembly together.

“That this headache is from the same party that has visited brigandage and left no legacy but malpractices and impunity, strongly damaging the political and moral psyche of growing army of Anambra youth is indicative that enough should now be enough”.
A legal practitioner in the state, Chief Emma Odum stated that though he had not read the Supreme Court judgment, he however stated that if it turns out to be true that those lawmakers whose seats those who made Oguebego list are claiming to replace were not parties in the appeal filed before the Supreme Court, it might require an application to the Supreme Court to give definite clarifications on its judgment before one can say that the Court meant what the candidates in Oguebego list are claiming are the true order of the Court or not.
Already, the national leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has called on INEC to declared its candidates who scored second highest votes in all the constituencies where PDP candidates were returned as winner in the March 28, 2015 National Assembly poll in the state as the authentic winners and the Certificate of Returns issued to the PDP candidates retrieved from them and issued to its own candidates instead.
According to the national Chairman of the APGA, Chief Victor Oye, the Supreme Court judgment showed that PDP did not field candidates that were legally qualified according to the provision of the Country’s constitution and the Electoral Act 2010(as Amended) during the elections.

But some political watchers have cautioned the actors in the Supreme Court judgment, especially the sitting National and State Assembly members to beware of unsuspecting political profiteers who might cash in in the judicial controversy to exploit them financially.