By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA—FORMER National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and candidate of the party for the rescheduled Anambra Central Senatorial rerun election, Chief Victor Umeh yesterday, dismissed the ruling by Justice Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue certificate of return to Chief Obiora Okonkwo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the senator–elect for Anambra Central.

Victor Umeh

Justice Tsoho gave the ruling following the withdrawal of the parties to the pre-election suit instituted by Okonkwo in which he claimed that he was the validly nominated candidate of PDP.

But speaking at the flag off of his campaign yesterday in Awka, Umeh described the ruling as a non issue, adding that following information from INEC, he was already preparing for the January 13, 2018 rerun election.

He said: “The Court of Appeal, on 7th  December in Enugu ruled that PDP did not conduct any primary and for that reason, nullified the Anambra Central election of 2015 and also disqualified the candidate of the party, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife.

“Ekwunife dragged the matter to the Supreme Court and failed because the decision of the Court of Appeal was the final court for the national assembly election. You will recall that all the aspirants for the election conducted their primaries in different places such that PDP could not produce any valid candidate.

“One of the aspirants even went to court after the primaries and the court asked the party to refund him the deposit he paid to the party because there was no primary. Since the court had nullified the 2015 election, I therefore wonder how the election was said to have been won by Okonkwo in which he expected to be declared senator –elect.”

“The Court of Appeal had ruled on the matter and a High Court deciding on the same matter is an abuse of court process.”

At the flag off, many politicians from other political parties defected to APGA. They include the former speaker of the state House of Assembly and the member representing Awka North and South in the House of Representatives, Chief Anayo Nebe, a chieftain of PDP, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, the governorship candidate OF Democratic    Peoples’ Congress, DPC, Mr. Yul Edochie and many others.

Governor Willie Obiano, who welcomed the defectors promised to work harder during his second term.

He also assured the people that efforts would be made to improve the fortunes of APGA in other parts of the country, adding that the victory of APGA in the November 18 election had sent a strong message that the party was on the march to win election in other states in 2019.