From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka and Dom Ekpunobi, Onitsha

Confusion and tension engulfed Anambra State yesterday, following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the Anambra Central Senatorial District rerun election scheduled for Saturday, March 6 has been postponed indefinitely.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Lawrence Azubuike, who announced the postponement at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, in Awka,  said the commission took the action following a court order obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the party to be included in the election.

INEC had barred PDP from participating in the rerun poll following a Court of Appeal judgment of December 7 last year,  which nullified the election of the party’s candidate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, in the National Assembly election held on March 28, 2015 and based on the Supreme Court ruling that only candidates who  participated in the first election would participate in a rerun. There is palpable tension in the state  as Saturday (March 5) would be the end of the 90 days given by the Court of Appeal within which the rerun election should hold.

Reacting to Justice Anuli Chikere’s judgment, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the rerun election, Chief Victor Umeh said: “We are shocked to hear that Justice Anuli Chukere ordered INEC to include PDP in the election  because the matter had since been settled. The Supreme Court clearly handed out what the law should be in this kind of situation.

“The greater shock that came to us is as a result of the fact that the same judge had, in three separate rulings, rejected the APC’s request to get their candidate included in just-concluded re-run election in Kogi East and Kogi Central senatorial districts and one constituency in Niger State…”

In his own reaction, state chairman of APGA,  Mathias Aneke, expressed dissatisfaction with the development, but assured that his party would participate in the rerun election whenever it is rescheduled. Also reacting to the situation, representative of PDP, Dr Alex Ebiogbolu, said as a disciplined party, his party went to court to seek redress for its disqualification.

Meanwhile, there are strong indications that PDP has concluded plans to field a  former governor  of the state, Mr Peter Obi as its candidate for the Anambra Central District rerun election.  Daily Sun gathered that INEC has already  recalled all the materials it had earlier  delivered to the district for the election which originally  scheduled for this Saturday.

However, the electoral body said it will appeal the judgment. INEC has insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot substitute its candidate, Senator Chris Ngige for the rerun poll. 

The electoral umpire insisted yesterday that Ngige will be on the ballot, regardless of the fact that he is the Minister of Labour and Employment in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.