Polycarp Sola
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, certainty on who eventually becomes the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in Ebonyi State seemed unknown.
However, Mr. Silas Onu, a member of the Party in the State said it’s National Executive Committee (NEC), yesterday approved Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as the authentic candidate among other names submitted to INEC earlier by the National Working Committee (NWC).
This came hours after the State PDP Chairman, Mr. Tochukwu Okorie told journalists in Abakaliki that Odii’s name is not yet in the records of the National electoral body.
Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii and Senator Obinna Ogba had been in a legal battle over who is the authentic governorship candidate of PDP in the State following two primaries held.
In his words, Onu said “yesterday, the National Executive Committee of our great party, the Official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nigeria, unequivocally stamped its approval of the names submitted by the Party to INEC as candidates for the various offices ranging from Houses of Assemblies, House of Representatives, Senate, Gubernatorial and Presidential elections come 2023.
“For us in Ebonyi State, this is in line with the recent Court of Appeals decision in the Appeal by Senator Joseph Obinna Ogba, where the Court emphatically held that it is the political party that has the option of who it intends to sponsor as a candidate for election and where there are two primaries, the party can decide which of the two it intends to rely on”. Onu explained.
He maintained that neither the court nor INEC can decide on a candidate for a political party, and by what happened yesterday, it becomes crystal clear that Odii is the authentic gubernatorial candidate for PDP in the State since his name is on the list submitted to INEC.
“it is abundantly clear that the party has decided to work with the primary elections of 28 & 29 of May 2022.” ( Which produced Odii as the authentic gubernatorial candidate).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the particular resolution in the published communique reads “NEC unanimously ratified the list of candidates of the PDP as submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the NWC”.