BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA — CHIEF Victor Umeh of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, yesterday, in Awka, told the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that his party validly nominated Chief Willie Obiano for the November 16, 2013, governorship election in the state.

Testifying at the tribunal, Umeh said that as the national chairman of APGA, with Alhaji Sani Shinkafi as the national secretary of the party at the time of the election, they duly signed the nomination form and forwarded the name of Obiano and Dr. Nkem Okeke as the governorship and deputy governorship candidates respectively to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as required by the guideline provided by the commission.

According to him, APGA conducted only one primary for the governorship election, which is the one monitored by INEC.

He said: “Apart from the fact that the primary was conducted by the lawful leadership of APGA and the executive recognised by INEC, the primary was also monitored by the electoral body in compliance with section 84 of the Electoral Act which requires INEC to monitor any primary conducted by any political party.”

Umeh also said he was the valid national chairman of APGA at the time Obiano was selected, adding that it was on that basis that INEC monitored the primary.

Asked if he was aware that Chief Maxi Okwu was validly elected national chairman of APGA based on the judgment of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Umeh said the judgment he (Okwu) relied on could be taken as never existed as it had been overtaken by the Court of Appeal ruling in his favour.