The Peoples Democratic Party has said it will study the Supreme Court judgement which annulled its primary election for the Imo West Senatorial district.
The ruling effectively nullified the return of Hon. Jones Onyerere, as the party’s candidate for the forth coming National Assembly election.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba said this in response to a question about the court judgement given on Friday.
He said, “I’m yet to see and read the judgement but I can assure you that as a law abiding party, the PDP will study the judgement and as you know, the Supreme Court is the highest Court in the land so in terms of judgement on such matters is final. We will study the judgement and act accordingly.”
Recall, a five-man panel of Justices of the Supreme Court voided the candidacy of Hon. Jones Onyerere, who emerged from the said primary election.
The lead judgement which was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court, held that the PDP acted in breach of the Electoral Act, when it held Senatorial Primary in Owerri, Imo state capital instead of Orlu, which is the Senatorial Headquarters of Imo West.
It equally held that the PDP, by conducting the primary election outside the venue clearly stipulated by the law, violated Section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The court also held that by the judgment, the PDP, will not participate in the Senatorial election, having failed to produce its candidate within the time allowed by law.
There is absolutely no way the PDP or indeed any political party could have held their primary in Orlu at period when Orlu had been turned into a killing field.
I haven’t read the judgment, but I want to believe that the above clear fact wasn’t brought to the attention of the learned Law Lords. Or else their judgment would be a fau pax.