From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Unlike when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not published the authentic gubernatorial candidates of the different political parties and their running mates, social media spaces were soaked with assorted questionable names by their media propagandists.
Indisputably, the earlier hours of Tuesday 4th October 2022 would be immortalized by the social media inventors.
Honestly, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and other social media sites were nearly pulled down by the so-called political media assistants, just because the valid names of the gubernatorial candidates and their running mates were publicized.
The apostles of fake information were of the view that unless their paymasters' names were in that INEC list, they can never see it as a valid list of the Nigerian electoral umpire.
In Ebonyi, to be precise, the spirit of the controversies on the authenticity of the state's true gubernatorial candidates especially in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was too high.
In the APC family, it was between the supporters of the incumbent Speaker of Ebonyi State Assembly, Rt. Honourable Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and the backers of the former Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Chief Elias Nwalem Mbam.
The supporters of Nwifuru whose name was eventually published by the INEC as the State APC gubernatorial primary remained optimistic about the emergence of their principal as the party's flag bearer in the 2023 governorship election.
The disagreements between Nwifuru's adherents and Mbam's disciples came to be more conspicuous on Tuesday 26th May 2022, when the APC gubernatorial primary election was conducted in Ebonyi State.
It was rumoured that upon the APC gubernatorial primary held at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium in Abakaliki, which produced Nwifuru as the party's flag bearer, Mbam went separately and conducted a parallel gubernatorial primary in his campaign office, Mile 50 along old Abakaliki-Enugu Express Road, leading to his emergence as a factional governorship candidate of the party in the state.
The alleged APC gubernatorial parallel primaries threw both Nwifuru and Mbam's supporters into a serious conflict and confrontation especially on social media spaces as none of the two factions agreed that its principal was not the authentic governorship candidate of the ruling party in the state.
Recall the Ebonyi APC leadership under the chairmanship of Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha expressed vexation towards the disposition exemplified by Chief Elias Nwalem Mbam for not observing the party provisions, by participating in the governorship primary which produced Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as its 2023 flag bearer, without a covering schedule to stain party's image.
According to the APC State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, the former RMAFC Boss, Mbam has been suspended from the party with a fine of two billion Naira for deviating from the party decision.
But Chief Mbam and his supporters were strongly opposing the pronouncement of the state party leadership, to the extent, the ex-RMAFC Boss described as a sham the strategies adopted by the Ebonyi State working committee of the APC to suspend him in connection with the party gubernatorial primaries, a few days after the exercise.
Contending on why the suspension and fines affixed against his actions by the party lacked merit, Mbam observed that, "from the provisions of the APC Constitution, the wards, local government areas and state executives of the party have no powers to look into disciplinary complaints arising from the APC gubernatorial primary election which took place at the state level."
Mbam's Chief Press Secretary, Obinna Udenwe stated this in a statement that he signed and made available to journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital.
He pointed out that the planned actions of the state government through the APC members will not stand and they know it. He however called on the Ebonyi people, APC faithful and his supporters to ignore the latest move to suspend him, claiming to be the authentic gubernatorial candidate in the state.
“We have heard plans being orchestrated by the state government and the State APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded APC gubernatorial primary in Ebonyi State.
“This is not only ridiculous but beats every known rule and guideline as contained in the APC constitution, as amended.
“After the APC primary of Thursday 26th May 2022, the Governor and the Chairman had a meeting in the evening and concluded plans to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam.
“This we thought was mere rumour until Sunday, 29th May when there was an announcement on local radio by one Mr Unachi Christopher inviting Engr. Mbam to a meeting at his ward by 8 am of Monday 30th May, knowing that it was impossible for Engr. Mbam who is in Abuja to return to Ebonyi before 8 am.
“This issue has become a subject of a pending court case and the principal actor Mr Christopher Unachi was duly served with the court processes today, Monday 30th May 2022, by the bailiff of the Ebonyi State High Court.
“State government using his aides to summon Engr. Elias Mbam for a disciplinary procedure in Ebonyi State in connection with the APC Gubernatorial primary election is a mockery of the APC guidelines for primary elections and also an abuse of the powers conferred on the appropriate organs of the party at various levels under the extant APC Constitution," he said.
Mbam further observed the Constitution, saying, “For instance, Article 21.3 (vi) (a) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Ward Executive shall be the adjudicatory body of the first instance over complaints or allegation from the Polling Unit level.”, while Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Zonal Committee shall be the adjudicatory body of the first instance over complaints or allegations from the State chapter of the zone.”
Mbam's claim then convinced his hard-dying supporters further, making them arbitrary to any fact coming from the leadership of the party in the state and that of Nwifuru's camp.
However, the APC State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha declared as, at that time, the former RMAFC Boss has been suspended from the party with a fine of two billion Naira for deviating from the party decision.
“The ward has already suspended him. We are going to expel him from the party and sue him to pay a fine of two billion Naira for going against the party’s decision by conducting a parallel congress,” Emegha cleared.
He also had in several interviews with journalists announced Nwifuru as the only Ebonyi APC gubernatorial candidate especially when the state conducted the local government election.
Still, the party chairman's pronouncement was described as the highest falsehood by the supporters of Mbam. This shady media onslaughts against the person of Nwifuru by Mbam's allies since then continued till 4 pm on Tuesday 4th October 2022 when the INEC finally displayed the list of all the state governorship candidates of different political in its portals.
The INEC list has humbled the Mbam's media warriors, while the Nwifuru's media pals have been in jubilation and merriment in all corners of the state, showcasing their joy on the social media spaces as well, keeping their challengers under hiding and silence.
For the Ebonyi Labour Party family, it was between Architect Edward Nkwegu and Mr Splendour Eze Oko who were battling over whom to be recognised as the authentic gubernatorial of the party in the state by the INEC.
Upon, the Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu State on Friday affirmed Dr Edward Nkwegu as the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in Ebonyi State, Splendour Eze Oko had never accepted his name would not be published by the INEC till Tuesday, as he was busy sharing counter opinions on media alongside his contracted media combatants.
Splendour Eze Oko's reason was that the Abakaliki Federal High Court had on 3rd August 2022, mistakenly granted the reliefs which he sought in his suit against the substitution primaries of the Labour Party in the state, but Dr Nkwegu later appealed the judgement.
However, in Suit No: CA/E/224/2022, the Appeal Court, on Friday 30th September 2022 set aside the judgement of the lower Court, which purportedly declared the Labour Party substitution primaries nullity, as requested by the plaintiff.
The Enugu Court of Appeal in its considered judgement held that the Abakaliki Federal High Court did not give the Appellants a fair hearing and that the Courts of Law are not invited to adjudicate on the internal affairs of associations, including the political parties.
The Appellate Court maintained that Splendor Eze Oko was only an appointed Caretaker Chairman of the Labour Party, Ebonyi State Chapter, who can be removed in the same way as his appointment.
In his ruling, the Presiding Judge, Justice Joseph Eyo Ekanem, the Justice of the Court of Appeal, said "the issue of leadership of a political party and in particular, the dissolution of its caretaker committee is an internal or domestic affair of the party, and so, it is not justiciable."
The Court ruled that the substitution primaries of the Labour Party in Ebonyi, which returned Arc. Dr Edward Nkwegu as the governorship candidate of the party in the State is valid.
But while Architect Edward Nkwegu described the judgement of the Appeal Court as divine, most transparent and applaudable, Splendour Eze Oko with his media urchins was saying the contrary, till the INEC cleared the coast on Tuesday 4th October 2022, by publishing its list, which captured Nkwegu as the governorship standard bearer of the Labour Party in Ebonyi State.
Not different, the Ebonyi State Federal Lawmaker, Senator Joseph Obinna Ogba has expressed confidence to beat his rival, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii by reclaiming his seemly doubtful gubernatorial ticket under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Supreme Court soon, even after the apex court's judgement in favour of Odii.
Ogba while addressing his supporters at his Abakaliki Campaign office on Sunday dropped the hint and said even though he lost the first legal battle surrounding the Ebonyi PDP gubernatorial ticket, he still has hope for the second lawsuit against his rival's claims.
He, however, enjoined his supporters not to be distracted by the recent Supreme Court judgment which nullified his gubernatorial victory during the PDP primary election in the State, saying that he still has confidence in Nigeria's Judiciary.
According to Ogba, "I want to tell you that I belong to the common people of this country and the only hope of the common men and women is the judiciary. I still have confidence and hope in Nigeria's Judiciary and so nothing has happened wrongly."
The Red Chambers Lawmaker noted that he entrusted the matter in the hands of God as what cannot be done by him as a Spiritual Father does not exist nor happen on Earth.
He maintained that if it is not the wish of God, nobody can take the gubernatorial ticket away from him, and vowed to reclaim his mandate soon.
"If it is not the wish of God, nobody will take our mandate away from us, what has happened is just simply something, we have two cases in the Supreme Court, one has been decided and it is not in our favour, we still have one to go and what is very important is that three Senatorial Candidates, six House of Representatives Candidates and twenty-four House of Assembly Candidates are in my group and I am very sure we are going to win," Ogba proposed.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the State, Prince Tochukwu Okorie and the embattled Deputy Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mr Obasi Odefa hinted that the party would take over the mantle of leadership in the State come 2023 despite the crisis perpetrated by their party's opponents.
They also expressed confidence that Senator Ogba would emerge as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the State irrespective of the crisis and urged him not to be distracted while calling his supporters to remain steadfast as all hope has not been lost.
The Leader of all the Chairmen of the PDP in the State, Barrister Friday Agbom proclaimed their total support to Senator Ogba in the legal skirmish, saying they stood on the resolution of the National Working Committee of the party, who cancelled the primary election conducted by Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii and his colleagues and thrown their weight on the primary election which produced Senator Ogba as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the State come 2023.
The confidence of Ogba to unseat Odii at the apex court might be the reason behind the clash between their loyalists a few days at Enugu when the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the party's substantial governorship flag bearer in the state.
As their supporters continued to wage attacks on social media spaces against themselves, Ogba's camp still holds firm his claims as the authentic governorship candidate of the PDP in Ebonyi, even when the names of Odii were boldly written on the displayed INEC list on Tuesday 4th October 2022.
Briefing newsmen, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Dr Chukwuemeka Joseph Chukwu said the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly Hon Ogbonnaya Nwifuru and Chief Ifeanyichukwuma Odii have emerged as the authentic candidates for the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Nigeria's electoral umpire published its final list for 2023 election.
Dr Chukwu disclosed this to newsmen at INEC headquarters, Abakaliki while noting that the state has 13 governorship candidates and 246 candidates for the State House of Assembly.
The REC further disclosed that Odoh Ifeanyi Benard emerged as the candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Nkwegu Edward as the Labour Party (LP) candidates.
Other guber candidates include Opoke Sunday for YPP, Usulor Anthony for NRM and Chukwuma Nwandugo for AA among others.
Dr Chukwu then charged the political parties to kickstart their governorship and House of Assembly campaigns by October 14, 2022.
