Politics

Anambra PDP: Factional candidates protest at INEC, EU office
Demand Certificates of Return

AGGRIEVED members of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) from Anambra State, yesterday stormed the national sec­retariat of the Independent National Electoral Com­mission (INEC) to demand certificates of return.
The protesters expressed regret that INEC has re­fused to comply with a court judgment which asked the commission to issue them Certificates of Return.
Anthony Offiah led oth­er protesters who include Emmanuel Nweke; Bene­dict Obaze, Charles Ode­do and Princess Ifeyinwa Anazonwu, Uchenna Obi, Ejike Nwene and Ju­lius Oforma.
Addressing news­men on behalf of his col­leagues, Offiah recalled that on December 5, 2015 a Federal High Court pre­sided over by Justice E.S Chukwu gave a judgment in their favour which or­dered PDP and INEC to “recognise and deal with our party chairman and his executive in all matters pertaining to elections in the state as contained in the party’s constitution.”
According to him, “only the list of candidates that emanated from the par­ty’s primaries in which this executive participated in must be recognised by both PDP and INEC.”
He further declared that the electoral body, in com­pliance with the judgment monitored the primaries that produced them as candidates and they were ultimately declared as flag bearers.
The protesters, who stormed INEC office as early as 9:00am and later staged similar protest at the secretariat of the Eu­ropean Union said INEC showed its bias by seek­ing clarification over a Su­preme Court ruling which set aside an Appeal Court ruling which had earlier upturned a Federal High Court ruling.
They expressed concern that their seats were be­ing occupied illegally.
Offiah declared that several letters writ­ten to INEC to give them certificates of return after the Supreme Court struck out INEC’s suit to seek clarification, fell on deaf ears.
“We entreat the chair­man of INEC to comply with the decision of the Supreme Court which re­stored the Federal High Court judgment and or­dered INEC to issue us our certificates of return.
“We are the beneficia­ries of this judgment of the Federal High Court which has now been affirmed by the Supreme Court.
“Our appeal at the Su­preme Court was decided on January 29, 2016 and the appeal succeeded, set­ting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal and upholding the judgment of the Federal High Court.
“We wrote INEC re­questing them to comply with the decision of the Supreme Court that upheld the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court which brought our names in.
At the INEC office, two assistant directors, who met the protesters, ap­pealed to them for calm and assured them that their requests would be con­veyed to the leadership of the commission.
At the European Union (EU) office in Abuja, the protesters pleaded with the international organisation to intervene on the alleged INEC’s refusal to give them certificates of return.