Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has again been confronted with two legal challenges, less than 3 weeks to the March 11 governorship contest.
This is owing to two court cases filed by Barr Okey Philip Igwe, the former running mate to late Prof Uche Ikonne, PDP’s former guber candidate and Chief Emma Nwaka, former State Chairman of PDP in the State and one of the aspirants in the last governorship primary election that produced Chief Okechukwu Ahaiwe as guber candidate.
The dropping of Hon Okey Philip Igwe as the running mate of the new guber candidate, Okey Ahaiwe, and his replacement with Hon Jasper Uche is the matter in dispute.
Okey Igwe was the running mate to Prof Uche Ikonne until the ex-ABSU VC’s unfortunate death last month.
But after the conduct of the February 4 fresh primary at Umuahia township stadium where Ahaiwe trashed other aspirants by getting 469 votes, the PDP announced that Hon Jasper Uche had been picked as Ahaiwe’s running mate.
The announcement threw Ikonne’s number 2, Igwe, off balance as he rejected the new arrangement, insisting that his candidature as running mate subsists according to him, “in accordance with the constitution and the Electoral Act.”
Igwe, who is presently the House of Assembly member representing the Umunneochi constituency, was the local government Chairman of Umunneochi LGA and the younger brother of oil and gas guru, Chief Chris Odinaka Igwe.
In an address he delivered to his supporters recently, Igwe said
“I have committed by soul, resources and energy to the course of victory for our party since my nomination by my late boss.
“My boss passed on and I have accepted his passing albeit painfully, as the will of divinity. Yet, my candidature subsists in accordance with the constitution and our Electoral Act.
“Indeed, certain entrenched interests that are and were opposed to what Prof and myself represent towards charting the course of a new, sustainable Abia, have risen against me.”
Igwe continued, “I will advise them to see reason, exercise due caution, understand that their attempt to unlawfully subvert my candidature shall fall and worse still, render the entire PDP gubernatorial candidacy inchoate, that will amount to pulling the rug from under the feet of our great party.”
However, the State PDP has replied him, saying that it was the right of the guber candidate, who was duly nominated by the party, to choose his running mate.
In a statement by Chief Amah Abraham, the Vice Chairman of PDP, Abia North, cum Acting Publicity Secretary, the Abia PDP stated that Igwe’s position as running mate ended the day Prof Uche Ikonne died, arguing that since the fresh candidate, Ahaiwe did not pick Igwe as his number 2, the party should not be blamed.
He further revealed that Igwe had a problem of dual citizenship which is already a subject of court case.
“A new candidate has emerged and one of the legal privileges of a candidate who emerged as a flagbearer of the party as Governor or President is the right to nominate his or her running mate by consulting with the party.
“Nobody or institution compels you to adopt somebody. Of course, a candidate can choose his running mate by consulting with the party, but it is the candidate that will eventually determine his or her running mate. So when Prof died, the joint ticket with his deputy or running mate died as well.”
He added, “He is a dual citizen. He has served in the American military and the rest of the things. We cannot because of his individual interest take a risk that will make our party go into an election without a candidate.”
So far, Igwe has headed to a Federal High Court to challenge his substitution and the issue is presently generating uproar in Umunneochi LGA, where the man that replaced Igwe, Jasper Uche also comes from.
Igwe is from Isuochi, Umunneochi LGA, while Uche is also from Umuaku Isuochi a neighbouring town with Anambra state.
Last week, supporters of Igwe allegedly beat up the supporters of Uche during a function in Umunneochi as the aggrieved fans of Igwe accused Uche of ‘betraying his brother’.
But a party member from Isiala Ngwa North told Newspot that the PDP was being careful to avoid the Bayelsa scenario where Governor Duoye Diri of PDP came to power from behind, after the court sacked the elected APC Governor, David Lyon because of certificate scandal that rocked the APC deputy governorship candidate.
“Nobody makes such mistakes these days”, said the PDP grassroots mobilizer.
Another source who pleaded anonymity claimed that Jasper Uche was used to balance the equation in power sharing among the elders of PDP in the State unlike the former arrangement that produced Ikonne which was allegedly lopsided.
Yet, another account had it that the Atiku-Okowa campaign interest in Abia was ‘brought into consideration’ to assuage the national secretariat for some months of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s membership of G-5 team.
As the dust raised by Igwe’s substitution is yet to settle, the former Chairman of PDP in the State, Chief Emma Nwaka has headed to Court to challenge the February 4 primary election which produced Chief Okey Ahaiwe, the former Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Nwaka, who is from Isuikwuato LGA, joined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a defendant in a bid to determine the qualifications or otherwise of Chief Okey Ahaiwe to participate in the February 4 election.
The suit dated February 16, 2023, filed by Obi C. Nwakor from Ikechukwu Ezechukwu SAN & Co, is challenging the qualification of Ahaiwe to participate in the February 4 exercise, having not been part of the May 2022 outing.
Nwaka also asked the Court to determine if a fresh primary as used in section 33 of the Electoral Act for a political party to replace a deceased candidate implies nomination and participation of new aspirants who did not participate in the original primary poll.
These crises are coming just a few days to the guber battle when the PDP family is supposed to be one to defeat other parties.
However, Chief Okey Ahaiwe seems undeterred by these Court cases as he has continued his campaign across the State, receiving endorsements from different PDP groups.
Knowing that the time is short to effectively cover wide grounds, Ahaiwe has hit the ground running, trying to convince Abians why they should make him their Governor.
He had after his victory at Umuahia township stadium on February 4, promised to carry everybody along if he wins the March 11 battle.
But the Igwe family of Isuochi is said to be bitter with PDP, arguing that the years of loyalty, financial support and other grassroots sustenance the PDP enjoyed courtesy of their family, had been rewarded with alleged back stab.
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
