From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, on Thursday disqualified the candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Silas Onu for Saturday’s bye-election in Ebonyi South senatorial zone.
The court presided by Justice H. A Nganjiwa held that Independent National Electoral Commission gave less than 21-days notice for parties to conduct congresses for the bye-election in line with the electoral act.
Justice Ngajiwa ruled that the congresses of the PDP for the primaries that produced Onu for the bye-election, felt short of the electoral act and thereby disqualified him for the Saturday’s bye-election.
Reacting to the judgment, Onu described it as contrived judgment.
“It is interesting that INEC Abakaliki were the ones arguing about none issuance of 21 days notice to them. The REC, who is an active APC agent, deliberately refused to attend our activities even with notices given to them.
“They monitored our primary election and asserted so. Yet, justice Ngajiwa chose to ignore plethora of superior court decisions on internal party affairs, even the recent Supreme Court’s decision on Plateau State. He pretended not to know that this is a bye-election and also that he doesn’t understand internal party affairs.
“The obvious design of the judgment given 2 days to election is to create confusion in the process and ensure that our teaming supporters are discouraged from voting – it is sad that a judge will make himself available for such a hatchet job.
“The conduct of the judge is beneath the hallowed chamber he sits in and a disgrace to the entire judicial community and legal profession.
“While we acknowledge that the judgment is contrived and deliberately done for political reasons, we are filing our notice of appeal immediately to ensure that we legally continue our participation in the election. Our supporters are called on to come out in their numbers and vote for PDP on Saturday 3rd February, 2024.
“The FHC is not the final court in pre-election matters and as such our participation is sacrosanct and our votes will count. God bless the PDP and the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.