Anambra Central: Ngige Lied, No Legal Impediment Holding Polls - Umeh

former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC was free to hold the rescheduled Anambra Central Senatorial Zone rerun election as an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court settled has settled the matter.

Chief Umeh who spoke to journalists in Awka in a news briefing said it became necessary to set the record straight following boastful statements by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige that the election will never hold until all pending cases were exhausted.

Umeh said Ngige in making the statement was being crafty as he knows the position of the law on the matter, and that his boastful speeches showed that he was leading his party into coercing INEC into dumping the conduct of the election as he(Umeh) had already gathered from reliable sources.

Umeh said, “Am surprised to read these audacious statements by Dr Chris Ngige, where he said the Anambra central rerun poll cannot hold until all pending cases are cleared. My surprise stems from the fact that I could not fathom under what capacity Ngige was saying categorically that the poll can never take place. He is the Minister of Labour and Employment, he does not work for INEC, that is empowered by the constitution to conduct elections.

“Am aware that the INEC has a legal department that s staffed by qualified lawyers, and if there is any matter that will prevent the commission from conducting election, the commission will say so at any point in time. This is not the first time that Ngige has made this claim, but saying the same thing at an APC meeting corroborates all what we have been hearing that APC will do everything to ensure that INEC does not conduct that election.”

 Umeh said there was no legal impediment anymore against the conduct of Anambra central senatorial election. He said the cases Ngige sited as outstanding can not stop INEC from conducting that election.

“The issue of the eligible candidates who can take part in a court ordered fresh election or rerun election has been permanently settled by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in its judgment in a case between Labour Party versus INEC, whose judgment was delivered on the 13^thFebruary 2009. That judgment was an endorsement of judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division on 10^th April 2008, to the effect that elections that are ordered by court through nullification do not admit new candidates.

“Unfortunately, people like Ngige are pretending not to know this position of the law. As early as January 2016, when PDP and APC purported to be trying to conduct a primary to choose a candidate that will take part in the election, I cried out that the law does not permit such futile exercise, they didn’t want to accept it, and they continued. Today, it is clear because INEC submitted to this decision of the Supreme Court in the conduct of all the fresh election ordered by the Court of Appeal across the country, after the 2015 general elections.

He said all the candidates that were disqualified by the final decision of the Court of Appeal were not allowed to take part in fresh or rerun elections, and that it was like that in all over the country except in Anambra central election where some vested interests were bent on scuttling the election.

He took a swipe at Dr Ngige who had earlier withdrawn from the rerun poll, citing that he was on a national assignment as a minister, wondering why he did not want to run, but was interested in scuttling the rerun election, even when his party has been disqualified from presenting any other candidate that is not him.

Umeh called on the Buhari led federal government to beware of Ngige, who he accused of never having won an election all his life, but depended on being rigged into office.

“This is enough for President Buhari to sack him from the federal Executive Council for embarrassing APC and FG. Ngige did not make any contribution to make Buhari the president. Anambra central where he was angling to represent has not had a senator for close to two years and he is celebrating. He is bringing bad name to the Buhari led federal government, and should be sacked.”

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has said that it has not received any directive to conduct the Anambra Central rerun poll, that that it will do so once the directive is issued it.

Barr Thomas Ongele, the new Administrative secretary of the commission in Anambra stated this in a press briefing to issue directive on the continuous voters registration(CVR) which begins today(Thusrday) in Anambra.

He stated that the CVR which commences today will witness the registration of electorates, transfer of voters from state to state and unit to unit, as well as distribution of 126,300 PVCs, which were still in their possession in Anambra.

Okonkwo, Tetrazzini Boss Joins Anambra Guber race, Swears to Oust Obiano

An Anambra governorship hopeful on the All Progressive Congress, APC, platform, and chairman of Tetrazzini foods, Chief Donatus Okonkwo has thrown his hat into the ring, for the Anambra gubernatorial election billed for November this year.

Okonkwo, younger brother of Senator Annie Okonkwo, who represented Anambra Central Zone and erstwhile governorship hopeful told THISDAY in an interview at his country home, Ojoto, Idemili North counvil area that he has conferred and received the blessings of his elder brother, Annie who is also a popular politician to run for the position.

Okonkwo said he was motivated to run by the fact that Anambra was gradually slipping away from being a first-class state which it had always been, and that if Obiano was left to do a second term, he might completely do the state in.

He accused Governor Willie Obiano of corruption, saying that his major reason for seeking reelection was to retained immunity and avoid prosecution as his party, APC has uncovered some of his 'financial atrocities' in the state.

"Obiano is corrupt. He knows he will go in immediately he is out of office that's why he is fighting the battle of his life. Obiano has deceived Ndi Anambra enough. He has plunged this great state into a deep ditch. We must not allow him to continue. He has rubbished us enough. We are tired of government by Photoshop.

"Just look at that old fashioned flyovers he built in Awka. Is that not enough to send him packing? Our 15billion Naira just went down the drain for no just cause. Is that not an insult to the collective psyche of Ndi Anambra? No, tell me, is this man not stealing us blind?" he queried.

Okonkwo who claimed  to have over 1,200 workers in his food chain outlets across the country said he pays them regularly because he was under obligation to do so, having employed and retained their services. He urged Governor Obiano to desist from bandying payment of salaries as achievement as employers in the private sector were already doing that.

Speaking on his chances of getting APC ticket in a political heavy weight studded party, said he was ready to back down for the best aspirant, so long as the contest was fair, but assured that he was more than ready to wrestle it with other aspirants, noting that he had consulted widely before throwing his hat in the ring.

"I have the capacity. I know I will get it. I have started seeing myself as the flag bearer of my party already, all I need is a free and fair primary election from the officials of the party."

Asked what he would do differently from what Gov. Obiano had done,  Okonkwo said he would place high premium on youths empowerment, noting that if elected most of the positions in his government would be occupied by the youth, to assuage the long years of neglect.

Anambra 2017: SGF's Suspension Technically Knocks Andy Ubah out of Race

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Obiano Sponsoring Governorship Aspirants to Destabilize Our Party, Says APC

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has accused the Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano of sponsoring some members his party, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as governorship aspirants in the party to destabilize it, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

The party's National Vice Chairman, South East, Hon. Emma Eneukwu stated this in a char with journalists in Anambra, saying that the party is not leaving anything to chance as it has set up a team to uncover the gang and checkmate such activities.

"I have it on good authority, that the incumbent government in the State is sponsoring some of his cronies to our party, claiming they are governorship aspirants under our party.

"Their sole aim is to create discord, distrust and disaffection within our party. We have set up a very powerful team to uncover these gang and checkmate their activities" he said.

Eneukwu warned the members of the party to be wary of dubious characters claiming to be aspirants in the party, insisting that the party has guidelines which interested members must meet before becoming an aspirant.

"I heard one announced his aspiration over the social media, and some days ago, claimed he had joined forces with the incumbent Governor. I want them to know that we understand their primary school tactics" he stated.

He described the forthcoming election in the state as a litmus test for the Igbos to prove their capability of taking their rightful place in the nation's political space, while assuring of the party's chances to victory in the poll.

His said, "This is one election where we must show the nation, that the Igbos are now truly and fully prepared to play the mainstream politics expected of us in the country.

"The Federal Government is our own. It is of APC, the Minister is our own and so the Governor come this 2017 election must be our own for the needed economic revolution to begin to free us economically and otherwise.

"We must utilize this golden opportunity to salvage our zone. Our people must be told of this imperative truth. The time is now."

Enugu govt fighting us because they owe us #3bn

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What we'll do Obiano if he failed to reverse the illegality called LG transition committee chairmen - UPP

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Shame as man gets stuck inside married woman during sex (Photos)

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