...It's a lie - Ebonyi PDP spokesman
Abuja Federal High Court has cancelled the primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi State just a few months before the 2023 general elections.
It could be recalled that PDP had its first primary election on May 28th and 29th 2022, which produced Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as its governorship candidate in Ebonyi State.
The party equally held another primary election on the 4th and 5th of June 2022 and produced Senator Obinna Ogba as the factional governorship candidate.
Our correspondent gathered that the first primary election which produced Odii as its gubernatorial candidate was conducted under the headship of Silas Onu, while the second primary election which produced Ogba, was conducted under the headship of Tochukwu Okorie.
Both Odii and Ogba fought doggedly in the court for the PDP gubernatorial ticket in Ebonyi, wherein, the Supreme Court later ruled in favour of Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii.
NATIONAL PANEL reports that the Presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako allegedly nullified all the primary elections of PDP, conducted under Silas Onu.
Justice, Nyako, however, gave fourteen (14) days ultimatum for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to conduct a fresh primary election.
When contacted, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Tochukwu Okorie confirmed the nullification of the Party's primaries.
He stated that the party will soon midst a position known about the federal High court ruling.
But Nwoba Chika Nwoba, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ebonyi State in a statement had described the nullification of the party primaries as a falsehood.
He said, "the attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State has been drawn to a cache of rumour making the rounds on Facebook stating that a Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the primary election of the party that brought in Chief Ifeanyi Odii as the governorship candidate of the party in Ebonyi State.
"The rumour is not only false, but a campaign of calumny overstretched against the PDP in Ebonyi State.
"The real information bothers on the confirmation of Chief Tochukwu Okorie as the authentic Chairman of PDP in Ebonyi State in a different suit challenging the victory of Barr Silas Onu who was the chairman during the primary elections. Recall that the Supreme Court had in October in two different suits bothering on the gubernatorial ticket of the party in Ebonyi State ruled unanimously and almost concurrently that the primary election that returned Chief Ifeanyi Odii against Sen. Obinna Ogba was the authentic primary election of the party.
"Sen. Ogba has since appreciated his supporters and told them that the judiciary had the right to its judgment over the ticket, congratulating Chief Odii for emerging victorious.
"One wonders what concern the Federal High Court of Justice Nyako in Abuja should have had over a case that the Supreme Court has passed judgments on two occasions.
"Therefore, party members and supporters are enjoined to disregard the rumour as peddled by the enemies of the party as PDP doesn't have a pending case against the supreme-court concluded primary election matter as regards Ebonyi PDP.
"The court only reconfirmed the victory of Tochukwu Okorie as the Chairman of PDP in Ebonyi State. Nothing more."
