Anambra Guber; Confusion in Anambra PDP as two chairmen emerges

NKIRU NWAGBO

In what can be described as a regular occurrence during every governorship election in Anambra state, the Peoples Democratic party chapter now has parallel chairmen.

This followed a certain judgment by the High Court sitting at the federal capital Territory Abuja removing Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu the current chairman.

The Court yesterday ruled that the Chairman of the party in Anambra is Mr. Ejike Oguebegol and not Ndubuisi Nwobu.

However, the judgment is coming two weeks to the conduct of the Gubernatorial Primary election of the party and this has created fear and apprehension among the aspirants of the party.

Already Oguebego has announced the postponement of the ward delegate election even when the committee set up for the exercise has arrived and sent to conduct the election today.

Speaking to Journalists yesterday Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu described the judgment as an effort in futility noting that the courts are on strike and the plaintiff in the matter Mr. Chukwudi Umeagba and the National leadership of the party have long withdrawn from the matter before now.

He insisted that there is a subsisting of the High Court in Federal Capital Territory Abuja which is a court of coordinate jurisdiction adding that the recent judgment cannot vitiate the initial judgment of Justice A.O .Musa in 2017.

The Justice Musa judgement read in part;

“It’s heard by declared that the purported Anambra caretaker committee led by the Sir Chukwudi Umeagba as conveyed by the 1st defendant press statement dated 19th December 2017 ix bill and void and of no effect being constituted in breach of the extant provisions of the defendant constitution as amended.

It is hereby ordered that the Executive Committee of the 1st Defendant Anambra state chapter having been duly elected in the state Congress held on the 4th December 2017 ratified by the National Caretaker Committee at its 449th meeting held on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th December 2017 is valid and subsisting having regard to the fact that it’s tenure is unexhausted.

The implications of the above are that there is a valid and subsisting judgment protecting the leadership of Hon Ndubuisi Nwobu led the executive committee of the party and the judgment has not been set aside.

It is binding on all until set aside by any Appellate Court; Nwobu said.

But according to the suit filed by Oguebego, there was no validly conducted Congress that elected Ndubuisi Nwobu as state chairman of the party adding that before the Presidential Primary election of the party in Rivers State only the local government and ward congresses were conducted adding that Nwobu was sworn in as caretaker chairman of the party.

Deepening the confusion further the sixteen aspirants of the party are at sea over their fate in the June 26th Primary election if the exercise would actually take place following the recent judgment.

Non if the aspiants offered to comment on the situation as according to them it is subjudice and contemptios of the court process.

Since 2010 the Ejike Oguebego faction of the party has been laying claim to the chairmanship of the PDP in Anambra state when Prince Kenneth Emeakayi was also insisting that he was the duly elected chairman of the party.