Contrary to insinuations in some quarters, Senator Andy Uba is still interested in contesting the 2014 governorship election in Anambra State, Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor reports
Senator Andy Uba has resonated as a political factor in the politics of Anambra State largely due to his bid to govern the state since 2007. The Senator who represents Anambra South in the National Assembly, The Nation can now reveal, is still very much interested in ruling the southeast state.
Though Uba’s name has featured prominently among those of other likely aspirants in the countdown to next year’s governorship election in the state, his interest or otherwise in the race has remained a subject of intense debates within and outside the state.
Uba’s cautious approach to questions about his next political move and the fact that he is yet to publicly declare his interest in the race prompted the thinking that he may be uninterested in the governorship contest which has already gathered momentum with politicians criss-crossing the state to propagate their candidacy.
But following Uba’s penultimate Friday judicial victory over his long time political opponent, Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu, in a suit meant to determine who is the duly nominated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2011 senatorial election in Amanbra South, there are strong indications that he is now oiling his political machinery to make a strong bid for Governor Peter Obi’s job next year.
Besides, an ally of the senator told The Nation that Uba has summoned a meeting of all his associates and allies to discuss his next political aspiration. The meeting, according to our source, focused on how Uba’s governorship aspiration would be.
A chieftain of the PDP in the state said “The then unending judicial battle over his seat in the senate was one major factor why his governorship aspiration was not clearly spelt out. We were interested in knowing how that was going to end. This is politics and the result of the litigation will surely have an impact on his politics.
“But now that we know he is the duly nominated candidate of our party and he is the rightful occupant of the Senate seat, there is nothing to distract us from the next project which is the governorship. I can tell you authoritatively that from now on, Andy Uba is the man to watch out for in the Anambra guber race.
“We are already back to the drawing board to map out the strategies with which we will corner the PDP ticket and then go ahead to win the election again just like we did in 2007. The people of the state know their leaders. They know the man we need now is Andy Uba. They voted for him in 2007 and they are ready to vote for him again.”
Uba, who was sworn in as governor after the 2007 election, but removed few days later through a court order which faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting election in the state when Governor Peter Obi’s tenure was still running, has had to endure a long judicial challenge from Ukachukwu after the 2011 senatorial election.
But the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Friday May 31, ruled against Ukachukwu who had asked the appellate court to declare him the duly nominated candidate of the PDP in the 2011 senatorial election.
In a lead judgement, Justice Inyang Okoro ruled that Ukachukwu had lost his “right of action” against Uba and could therefore not sue him over a pre-election matter.
Although a similar suit is against Uba at a federal high court in Abuja, the judgement by Justice Okoro, being from a superior court is believed by Uba’s men to have effectively settles the matter thereby encouraging the Senator to return to his gubernatorial dream with more concentration.
“The Abuja High Court case is no longer a problem as a higher court in Owerri has effectively settled the issues argued in the case. With this, Uba’s election has been affirmed,” one of Uba’s counsels told The Nation.
It would not be the first time Ukachukwu would be losing in his bid to oust Uba from the Senate. Last January, the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital dismissed his request to be declared as the duly nominated candidate of the PDP for the senatorial election which was won by Uba.
In the suit no CA/OW/180/2012 between Ukachukwu and others versus INEC and Uba, the court had ruled that Justice J. Umar, then of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, was wrong to have transmitted the application to the Court of Appeal.
The court further held that Ukachukwu had no grounds of appeal on the real issue in question and therefore refused to exercise its power under section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to decide on who was the nominated candidate of the PDP.
The Court of Appeal, therefore, ordered that the substantive suit pending at the Federal High Court, Umuahia, be transferred to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment.
Earlier in September 2011, the Court of Appeal, Enugu division dismissed a petition filed by Ukachukwu challenging the election of Uba for the Anambra South Senatorial Zone. The court presided over by Justice Abubakar Jega held that the petition brought by Ukachukwu was a pre-election matter which raised intra-party dispute.
Consequently, the tribunal struck out the petition and upheld the ruling of the election tribunal sitting in Akwa. Ukachukwu had gone to the court to challenge the April election of Uba and his subsequent declaration by the Independent Electoral Commission [INEC]. A cost of N30, 000 was awarded against the respondents in the case.
Uba had in January 2011, won the PDP senatorial ticket for the Anambra South Senatorial District in a keenly contested primary election that featured Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, Dr. Andy Uba and Hon. Barr Nnamdi Ezike.
Uba polled 1766 votes to Ezike’s 72 votes to emerge winner. Ukachukwu had 68 votes. With that victory, Uba went into the general elections where he matched up with Hon. Chumah Nzeribe who contested on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and a number of other candidates.
Uba defeated Nzeribe and his other challengers to emerge the winner of the 2011 senatorial election. However, his victory was challenged and INEC had to conduct a re-run election in the district a year later.
At the March 2012 senatorial re-run election, Uba and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated Chuma Nzeribe and the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA).
Official results released by the INEC indicated that the former domestic aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, polled approximately 42,804 votes, beating his main opponent, Nzeribe by some two thousand votes.
Pundits say Uba’s entrance into the governorship race in Anambra will alter all previous permutations on the race for the gubernatorial ticket within his party, the PDP as well as on the general election.
