The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, from the list of candidates for the Anambra State Governorship poll released on Friday.
Instead, the electoral umpire recognised a sitting member of the House of Representatives Hon. Chukwuma Michael Umeoji as flagbearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the November 6 election.
Prior to the primary elections, APGA had been rocked by a leadership crisis with two factions laying claims for leadership of the party.
While the Victor Oye-led group conducted the primary that produced Soludo, Jude Okeke camp conducted another that declared Umeoji as the party’s candidate.
INEC national commissioner and Chairman of the information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye, said the decision was based on the judgments and court orders served on the commission in relation to the primaries of the political parties and other processes leading to the election.
He said the commission would continue to act in consonance with the constitution and the law and will continue to obey the judgments and orders of courts served on it.
According to the list, 18 political parties and candidates would participate in the November poll.
Okoye added that the personal particulars of the candidates would be published in the Commissions Notice Board in Awka, Anambra State.
Also consciously missing is the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Valentine Ozigbo.
Okoye equally said the decision was based on obedience to a court order.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja had on Thursday ordered INEC to suspend the moves to publish any name as the governorship candidate of the party in the November poll.
In his ruling on an ex-parte application filed by one of the aspirants laying claim to the PDP’s ticket, the judge, Yusuf Halilu, directed INEC to maintain the status quo by not publishing any name as the party’s candidate in deference to ongoing proceedings.
“I also further order that status quo shall be maintained by INEC by not publishing the name of any candidate as the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the order of the court read in part.
Valentine Ozibo and Ugochukwu Uba had emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidates from parallel primary elections.
Both are laying claim to the party’s ticket ahead of the exercise.
Meanwhile, Senator Andy Uba, who won the controversial primary of the All progressives Congress was named as the candidate of the party.
