Court orders INEC to list Ozigbo as PDP Anambra gubernatorial candidate

A federal high court in Awka has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Valentine Ozigbo as candidate of the PDP for the November 6 Anambra state governorship election.

 

Ozigbo, a former chief executive officer of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria, secured 62 votes to emerge as the standard-bearer of the party in the primary election which was held on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.

 

Ozigbo had approached a federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama seeking an order restraining the PDP from “tampering” with his name as the authentic candidate.

 

He also sought an order “mandating” INEC to publish his name as the party’s candidate.

 

However, the court refused all the orders sort and ordered the electoral commission not to publish the name of any candidate for the PDP pending the determination of the motion on notice.

 

Consequently, INEC, excluded the candidate of the PDP from the list of cleared candidates for the poll.

 

But in a fresh order issued on Monday, Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, the judge in Awka, asked the electoral commission to publish Ozigbo’s name as PDP’s candidate, following the withdrawal of the suit at the FCT high court.