The Association of South-East Past Presidents-General (ASEPP) has endorsed the Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Sen Ifeanyi Okowa, for the February 25 presidential election in the country.
The endorsement was given at the first quarterly General Assembly of the association in Enugu .
Motion for adoption of the Atiku-Okowa ticket was moved by Deputy Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu who said the South-East and the South-South had been pillars of the PDP that could not afford to be relegated to the background.
Former Enugu state Governor Okwesilieze Nwodo lauded the former Presidents-General for their support to PDP, and stated that the party remained the best for the Igbos.
The Vice-Presidential Candidate of PDP, Ifeanyi Okowa, was conferred with the Outstanding Igboman-of-the-year award in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in Delta and contributions to nation-building.
Okowa urged the people in the South-East not to be obsessed with sentiment, adding that they should vote for the PDP as it was the only political party among the opposition that had capacity and potential to win the presidential election.
AGAIN, PRINCE OTU FLOORS SANDY ONOR, PDP AS APPEAL COURT THROWS OUT SUIT SEEKING DISQUALIFICATION OF APC GUBER TICKET.
A Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar has delivered a judgement in a matter brought before it by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and her governorship candidate, Sen. Sandy Onor in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC and her governorship candidate, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu.
The Appellant, PDP and Sandy Onor had appealed the judgement of the trial court last year and delivered by Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie in Calabar.
Counsel to the Appellant, First Baba Isa had argued that the APC deputy governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, being a 3rd defendant on the matter, apart from not being a member of the 1st defendant (APC) was also a British citizen. He had prayed the court to disqualify the APC governorship candidate, Sen. Bassey Otu being the 2nd defendant and the 3rd defendant, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, because their ticket was a joint one.
In an unanimous decision by the three justices, R.C Agbo, O.F Omoleye and B.B Aliyu, Justice O.F. Omoleye who delivered the judgement on behalf of their Lordships submitted that on the issue of membership of a political party, the Appellant had no business in the activities of another political party. She upheld the judgement of the trial court, insisting that the issue of political party membership was not justiciable and therefore the court lacked the jurisdiction to determine it.
She maintained that as much as the constitution of Nigeria recognizes political party membership, the business of such political party remains an internal affair of the party.
Although she acknowledged the right of the Appellants to institute a pre-electoral matter, she insisted that the matter itself was not justiciable.
“The domestic affairs of a political party is an internal issue of that political party and the court will not dabble into the internal affairs of any political party” she said.
“The issue of leadership and membership of political parties is an internal affair of a political party and the court will not interfere in it. The court therefore, cannot be dragged into the internal issue of if the 3rd defendant is a member of the 1st defendant or not. This therefore means that the action of the Appellants is not justiciable. This matter is therefore struck out for lacking in merit and a cost of N500,000 awarded against the Appellants” she concluded.
ABIA PDP GETS NEW GUBER CANDIDATE
The immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Chief Okey Ahiwe has won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary election in the State.
The election became necessary following the demise of Prof. Uche Ikonne who was to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 general election.
The Chairman of the PDP Primary Election Committee, Governor Godwin Obaseki announced the results as follows:
Chief Okey Ahiwe 469
Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu 12 Votes
Don Lulu 12 Votes
Samson Orji 11
