A former secretary of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Anambra State, Chief Okoli Akirika, on Tuesday, said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the March 2016 Anambra-Central senatorial district rerun election, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, was not disqualified by the Court of Appeal.
He said, “What the court held was that the primary that produced her was illegitimate. There was nowhere in the entire body of the judgment where the term, ‘disqualified’, was ever used by the court.“What the court did which I think is proper was that every candidate must be lawfully and legitimately sponsored by a political party in accordance with the mandatory provisions of section 65(2) of the Electoral Act.”
Akirika, however, extolled the court for taking time to look into the matter of qualification involving a third party and the candidacy of another party, noting that it would strengthen internal democracy across political parties in future elections.
He, however, cautioned Ekwunife to properly validate her candidacy with her party before the election.
The lawyer said, “The Court of Appeal declared her PDP candidacy as an illegitimate one and ordered for a fresh election. Any other person could emerge in the PDP primary as its candidate in the poll.”
He advised his party, APGA, to get prepared for the rerun instead of living in the illusion that the PDP had been disqualified.
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