Akwa Ibom PDP Primary: Court orders PDP/INEC ‘To Be Put On Notice’ checkmating plans to substitute statutory delegates
The Plan by the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom to substitute the statutory delegates list duly submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) by the party’s National Working Committee(NEC) may have suffered a setback as a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered service of court processes on the party and INEC.
The court presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite had after listening to Counsel Essien Moses Edet, Okon Mfonnobong Charles, Akpanusoh Usoro Samuel, and Atakiko Emem Asuquo, Omoloye Abdullah asked that the PDP identified as 1st defendant and INEC 2nd defendant be put on notice of the pendency of the suit and adjourned further hearing on the matter to May 30th,2022.
As it stands, the Akwa-Ibom state primaries for the purpose of electing party executive committees at all levels for the forthcoming state PDP primaries including the governorship primary slated for Monday 25th May is unlikely to hold.
The plaintiffs had gone to the court asking it to determine whether the outcome of the undisputed result of the PDP party’s congress and or convention was duly conducted in compliance with and/or on the strength of the combined provisions of Section 223(1)(a) and (b) paragraph 15(b) and (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) among others can be jettisoned, voided and or abandoned in the conduct of the PDP primaries for all elective positions of Akwa-Ibom State without any reason.
Other references cited include Section 85(3) of the defunct Electoral Act 2010(as amended) now impair material with Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, Sections 2,15(2)(d) & (e), 18(2)(a)(c) and 25)2)(b) of the Constitution of the PFP (as amended in 2017) and Articles 1.2(b), 2.6(ii), 3.6(b), 4.0, 5.5(iv), 9.0(I) and Article 10.0(a,b,c) of the PDP guidelines for the conduct of Ward, LGA, State, Zonal Congresses and the National Convention for the purpose of electing Party Executive Committees at all Levels for Akwa-Ibom State Chapter in 2020 which was duly submitted to INEC by the NWC of the PDP in the year 2020
The plaintiffs further averred that if the answer to the above question is in the negative; the PDP is not bound to use the certified true copy of the undisputed list of Statutory Delegates duly submitted to INEC by the party’s NWC for Akwa-Ibom Chapter
