ABEOKUTA—GOVERNORS Sullivan Chime and Adebayo Alao-Akala of Enugu and Oyo States were, yesterday, pondering their options after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, dropped them and their loyalists from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, list for the forthcoming general elections.
The INEC move came as Governor Olugbenga Daniel of Ogun State who, alongside his loyalists, were dropped from the PDP list for the election prepared to dump the PDP for the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, today.
Chime and Alao Akala
Delisting of Chime’s faction
Among those trapped by the development in Enugu were the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senate spokesman Senator Ayogu Eze and other members of the Chime faction who were de-listed from the candidates’ list first published on Monday.
The Sullivan Chime Campaign Organisation was, nevertheless, hopeful, expressing confidence that Chime would retain the PDP flag at the end of on-going legal tussle.
INEC had displayed the list of 12 governorship candidates of various political parties including Governor Chime as PDP’s flag bearer at its Independence Layout office at about 2.00 p.m on Monday following which his supporters stormed the INEC office in jubilation. But five hours later, precisely at 7.00 p.m, the commission removed names of the governor and his running mate, Sunday Onyebuchi from the list.
Angered by the development, some youths suspected to be supporters of the governor, according to a security personnel attached to the commission, removed the names of other governorship candidates and their running mates pasted on the walls.
The commission said it had a directive from Abuja to remove Chime’s name from the list because he was not the authentic governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State, Dr. Josiah Uwazuruonye, who confirmed the development, said the withdrawal followed the litigations trailing the conduct of PDP primaries in the state, adding that the removal of Chime’s name was in accordance with the directive from the INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of legal services, Mr. Philip Umeadi that the name be withdrawn without further delay.
List sent in error —Umeadi
Uwazuruonye added: “I got a call from the National Commissioner in charge of legal matters, Mr. Philip Umeadi, who told me that the list of Enugu State was sent in error and that we are supposed not to have even displayed it in the first place because of the cases going on in courts. He asked me to arrange for the withdrawal of the list and I accordingly directed the officer in-charge of legal matters to withdraw it immediately.”
Although he added that the commission was yet to substitute the name, the REC said that the commission would await further directive, especially on the suit instituted by Chief Anayo Onwuegbu against the acceptance of Chime and others as candidates in the state.
Onwuegbu and 38 other candidates elected by the group loyal to the deposed National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo had on January 31 secured an injunction from the Federal High Court, Abuja restraining the party and INEC from accepting the candidature of Chime and others produced by his group, insisting that they (the plaintiffs) were the rightful candidate produced by the authentic executive of the party, which emerged from her state congresses and subsequent primary elections.
The governor and his legal team had last week filed necessary papers at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking to be joined in the matter before Justice Abdul Kafarati, but the Court at the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, held that the order restraining the PDP and INEC from accepting any candidate of the party other than Onwuegbu and others on his list, should subsist till Monday when the case would be revisited.
Vanguard learnt that the decision by the INEC leadership to withdraw the list followed the protest to the Commission’s Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega by Onwuegbu and the other candidates from his group, who threatened to commence contempt proceeding against the Commission and PDP for displaying the governor’s name in disobedience to the subsisting court order.
However, in his reaction through his Campaign Organization’s Director of Media and Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, said Governor Chime was not perturbed at all, stressing that he was confident of emerging the flag bearer of the party when the issue must have been sorted out
Ugwoke said: “We have heard such unconfirmed report about withdrawal of the governor’s name but if it is true, then it is, perhaps, in strict compliance with due process and full observance of the rule of law. It does not vitiate the irreducible fact that Governor Sullivan Chime was duly nominated by PDP and had since filled and returned his nomination form to INEC. We’re quite certain that in the fullness of time, other legal issues will be sorted out and we shall all be witnesses to the final verdict and the corresponding commencement of other electoral activities.”
Delisting of Akala
Governor Alao-Akala was de-listed from the gubernatorial election by INEC following a court order restraining the electoral body from recognizing him and other candidates of the party who emerged after a controversial State Congress.
On Monday, a Federal High Court in Ibadan warned the commission that it would be guilty of contempt of court if it failed to obey the court order asking it not to accept any nomination of person for any election in Oyo State through any primary election purportedly conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party.
According to Justice J.E Shakarho, in a notice of consequences of disobedience to order made available to Vanguard in Ibadan, unless the electoral body obeys the order given on February 1 2011, it will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.
About 37 members of the party who felt marginalised in the primary election that led to the nomination of Governor Adebayo Alao_Akala and others had instituted an action against INEC, PDP, Dejo Afolabi and the Executive Governor of Oyo State.
Those that filed the suit include Elder Wole Oyelese, former Minister of Power and Steel, Former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, Senator Lekan Balogun and others.
Though, his name had earlier been included on the list published in nomination form marked CF 001 on Sunday, his name was expunged from the list of candidates to contest the April election, yesterday.
INEC office in Ibadan explained that the name was removed following a directive from its headquarters in Abuja.
The Head, Public Affairs Department, INEC, Oyo State, Mr. Ayodele Folami, said: “We are under an umbrella of our head office in Abuja. We received a directive today that his form should be removed and we have complied with the directive.”
The court had ordered that “the 2nd to 4th defendants/respondents are hereby restrained from acting pursuant to their directive or instructions or presenting any candidate of the 2nd respondent in Oyo State to the 1st respondent based upon the result of the congresses held between 29 to 31 December,2010 or through any primary election by those purportedly elected at the said congresses pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“That the 1st respondent is restrained either by itself or its agents, servants, privies from receiving, accepting or in any way acting upon any nomination of any person or persons for any election in the state purportedly elected at the aforesaid congress pending the determination of motion on notice.
“That the leave is granted to the plaintiffs to serve the Writ of Summons and all other processes in this court on the 1st and 2nd defendants at Zambezi Crescent, Maitama District, Garki and Wadata, Abuja respectively which are outside the jurisdiction of this court and such service is deemed proper.”
Daniel dumps PDP
Meanwhile, Governor Daniel who had earlier obtained the PDP Senate ticket for Ogun East Senatorial zone but dumped alongside his allies in favour of the Obasanjo faction is today set to decamp to the PPN.
The decision to leave the PDP was resolved at a closed door meeting of all the candidates in his faction who lost out in the intra-party squabble with members aligned to former President Obasanjo. The meeting took place in Governor Daniel’s “Asoludero” country home in Sagamu.
Vanguard learnt, yesterday, that the PPN gubernatorial candidate, Barrister Deji Razaq, a former staff of the PDP State secretariat between 2003 and 2007, would step down in favour of Daniel’s choice, Gboyega Isiaka. Razaq is reportedly an acolyte of Governor Daniel.
It was further learnt that the PPN had, prior to the end of submission of candidates list, also presented candidates who would step down in favour of members of the Daniel camp.
Speaking to a waiting crowd after the meeting with his faction’s nominees, he said: “If they want us here, we will stay; but if they don’t want us, we will…. But I can assure you we will break our fast tomorrow (today).
“We did not conduct the primaries; they sent people from Abuja. Security came, INEC came and one week after they started everything and INEC listed those who did not participate in the primaries as the candidates. Since I have been taking you around, have I ever directed you wrongly?
“After fasting, it would be broken. We have fasted and we will break our fast tomorrow (today), then you will all know where we are going. This is Ogun State where we have been truthful”
Daniel who was dressed in a white brocade and red cap said “this morning I got dressed for Ibadan only to find you people blocking the road because you are angry. God should remove all those people making you angry; having worked for the party for over 10 years.
“As it is, we have been truthful with the state and people are appreciative. But some people just came to disrupt everything. They think they are God. For a long time our country has been led by some people who would not allow what God has ordained to be. This led to the operation wet e in the first Republic and then on to the civil war. Forty years after, some people still think they can take Nigerians for a ride.
“June 12, 1993 elections came and some people derailed it and till today, Nigeria has not had peace. Now several years later, the chicken has come home to roost. They are not happy with the progress we are making in Ogun State. Before we came in, the PDP did not win in the South West and since we came in, PDP became a progressive party in the South West until the impeachment of Ladoja followed with what happened in Ekiti to hard working Fayose.
“We have not been told what Fayose stole that others did not steal. Fayose was removed. South West then lost Ondo State and as if that is not enough; Ekiti and Osun also went. It is not possible for us to sit down, fold our arms and watch all these continue to happen.”
Before storming the front of the Library where Daniel addressed the crowd, leaders of the party including commissioners, special advisers and assistants, party chieftains including former local government chairmen and Jonathan Campaign Coordinators had gathered at the Hall within the compound castigating former President Obasanjo in the crisis and expressed anger at how they were treated by the party.
PDP asks Court to vacate order restraining Gov Gbenga’s faction
Meanwhile, the PDP yesterday, told a federal high court in Abuja that it would only recognize the list submitted to it by Chief Joju Fadiro led Executive Committee which is aligned to Daniel.
The party stated this on a day it urged the high court to vacate an earlier order it made on January 26, restraining INEC from accepting or acting on the PDP list of candidates that emerged from primary election conducted by its Executive Committee in Ogun State.
The PDP which contended that presiding Justice Abdul Kafarati, erroneously granted the motion ex_parte filed before him by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s faction, insisted that it would only issue tickets to candidates that emerged from primaries conducted by its Executive Committee in Ogun State.
Harmonised executive committee
Arguing its stand on the matter, the PDP through its lawyer, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, averred that “the plaintiffs misrepresented to the court the fact that there was a harmonized Executive Committee of the party in Ogun State, led by one Chief Dayo Soremi, when no such committee exists and when the National Executive Committee or National Working Committee of the party did not ratify or approve any such harmonized Executive Committee.
“The plaintiffs misrepresented facts to this honourable court that the Chief Joju Fadiro led Executive Committee of the PDP in Ogun state had been dissolved when to the knowledge of the plaintiffs there was no such dissolution. The plaintiffs concealed from this court the fact that an Abeokuta High Court in suit No AB/166/2010, _Chief Joju Fadiro& 28 ORS Vs Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo & 5 Ors, had restrained the PDP from dissolving or interfering with the Chief Joju Fadiro Executive Committee of the party in Ogun State.
Consequently, PDP sought for “an order discharging, setting aside or vacating the interim order of injunction made ex_parte order by this Court on January 26, 2011, having been made without jurisdiction and on the basis of concealed material facts and/or misrepresentation of facts by the plaintiffs”, stressing that “any order made by this court against the Chief Joju Fadiro led executive is an order made in vain and is incompetent.”
The PDP Chairman in Ogun State, Joju Fadiro, yesterday, sought leave of court to be joined as party in the substantive suit.
It will be recalled that the plaintiffs, Chief Adetunji Olurin, Babatunde Fadun, Hon. Dave Salako, Mr. Wale Solaja and Seun Adesanya, who are said to belong to former President Obasanjo’s faction, on January 26, secured an interim order upon which the INEC relied upon to compile its list of candidates for the state.
Justice Kafarati has, however, ordered all the parties in the suit to appear before him on February 15 to argue the matter.
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