The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ejike Oguebego

  • Anambra: Court okays contempt proceedings against INEC Chair

    Anambra: Court okays contempt proceedings against INEC Chair

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has given the go ahead to Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye – Chairman and Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra State to commence contempt proceedings against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

    Oguebego and Okoye, who are suing for themselves and on behalf of other members of the Executive Committee of the PDP, Anambra State, are accusing Mahmood of refusing to obey the December 5, 2015 judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu.

    Justice Chukwu had, in the fifth order as contained in the judge, restrained INEC, its agents, among others “from accepting or receiving any delegate list or nominated candidates that may emerge from the congresses or primaries conducted by the caretaker committee set up by the 1st defendant (PDP) for the Anambra PDP, except those that emanate from the plaintiffs.”

    Bothered by INEC’s alleged refusal to comply with the judgment, particularly the 5th order, Oguebego and Okoye initiated contempt proceedings against the INEC Chairman before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Last Friday, May 20, Justice John Tsoho (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) granted an order ex-parte for substituted service of processes in relation to the contempt proceedings, including Form 48, on Yakubu.

    For service on the INEC boss, Justice Tsoho directed the plaintiffs to serve the court processes, including Form 48 on “an adult person, staff or official at the Legal Department of INEC at No: 436 Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, being the usual place of business of the 2nd respondent (Yakubu).

    As it affects INEC, the judge ordered the services of all processes, including Form 46, “by delivering or leaving same at the Legal Department of INEC, the commission having refused to accepr service of same from the bailiffs of this honourable court.”

    The Form 48 issued by the court’s Registrar on March 31, 2016, is a notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court.

    It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of the honourable court, attached to this Form (in particular, the 5th order, restraining you from acting on any list of nominated candidates for the PDP in Anambra State in respect of Legislative seats for the 2015 general election, except those that emanated from the plaintiffs), you will be guilty of contempt of court, and you will be liable to be committed to prison.

    “Take further notice that if the INEC continues to disobey this order, you, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, will be held liable for contempt of court and liable to imprisonment.”

    Justice Tsoho has adjourned further proceedings in the case to May 27.

     

  • Anambra PDP wants INEC to recognise Oguebego’s exco

    Anambra PDP wants INEC to recognise Oguebego’s exco

    The Ejike Oguebego-led state Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against recognising candidates contained in the list of nominated candidates sent by interests other than his executive.

    The Supreme Court recently affirmed the authenticity of the Ejike Oguebego leadership of the PDP in Anambra and director INEC to deal with it in all cases.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja had also in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2015 restrained INEC from accepting list of nominated candidates from other source except from the Oguebego-led executive.

    Bothered that INEC was yet to give effect, Ejike Oguebego (Chairman) and Chuks Okoye (Legal Adviser) acting for themselves and members of the Executive of the PDP in Anambra State have issued Form 48 against INEC before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Form 48 is a “notice of consequences of disobedience to court orders,” issued on a party who is reluctant or unwilling to obey a subsisting order of a court.

    A party who issue Form 48 on a perceived erring party will proceed to issue Form 49 (request for order of committal against an erring party), commencing contempt proceedings against the erring party.

    The Form 48 issued on February 18 at the Federal High Court, Abuja by Oguebego and Okoye have been served on INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu and and Director, Legal Department, Ibrahim Bawa (SAN).

    It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the orders of this honourable court, attached to this form (in particular the 5th order) restraining you from acting on the list of nominated candidates, except those that emanate from the plaintiffs, you will be guilty of contempt of court and you will be liable to be committed to prison.”

    Should INEC fail to comply with the order, the plaintiffs – Oguebego and Okoye – are at liberty to initiate contempt proceedings against the electoral body and its principal officials, by filing Form 49.

  • Uba brothers, Oduah, others battle for Anambra senatorial seats

    Uba brothers, Oduah, others battle for Anambra senatorial seats

    A key member of the Ejike Oguebego faction of Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Chris Uba, has warned his brother, Senator Andy Uba, Ms. Stella Oduah and other to stop parading themselves as senators.

    Uba, while arguing that the judgment of the Supreme Court last Friday, which affirmed an earlier High Court verdict recognising the Ejike Oguebego exco as the state’s authentic leadership, advised the affected senators and House Representatives members to step down.

    He said he would lead other candidates, who emerged  under the Oguebego-monitored primaries, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday to demand their certificates of return.

    Andy and Oduah faulted the assumptions that the Supreme Court removed them from office, arguing that they were not party to the suit, which dealt with leadership crisis in Anambra PDP.

    Chris, who described himself as the “senator representing Anambra South,” while speaking with reporters in Abuja yesterday, said he was shocked that those who should be conversant with the laws could be deceiving the public regarding their true status after the Supreme Court failed to recognise the alleged dubious way through which they got to the Senate.

    He said: “The time for substitution had passed and we were busy doing our campaigns when, one week to the election, the Andy Uba faction went to the Court of Appeal and set aside the judgment of the High Court. Based on that, they took the judgment to INEC and their names were used to substitute our own. We cried foul, insisting we were not party to the suit. But INEC insisted that our names were initially published based on a court order and that we should appeal.

    “We appealed to the Supreme Court and the verdict on Friday vindicated our position, as the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and agreed with the High Court and granted our five prayers.

    “Now, they (Andy Uba and Oduah) went on the air and issued press statements to deceive the public that the order from the Supreme Court did not affect them because they were not a party to the suit. The question is: when our names were removed by INEC and replaced with theirs, were we party to the suit? Now, they are shouting and trying to misinterpret a clear judgment that has removed them and given us victory. They are just deceiving the public. We will demand our certificates of return from INEC on Monday because the judgment is clear. We do not need to seek any further clarifications.”

    Uba added:  “When the exercise started, INEC wrote a to the PDP headquarters, telling the PDP that the Ejike Oguebego exco was the one that it would recognise based on an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    “Unfortunately, the PDP ignored that letter and, instead, set up a two-man caretaker committee to come to Anambra State to conduct primaries. Of course, there was no room for that caretaker committee to operate in the state because the key to conducting the primaries is the three-man delegates from the 326 wards in the state.

    “It was obvious that without the state exco, the caretaker committee cannot be functional because the people to organise the state congress were expected to liaise with the state chairman. From there, they would set up a committee to go to the wards where the delegates to elect candidates into the legislatures, would emerge from. So, when they set up this caretaker committee, the Ejike Oguebego exco went to court and got a judgment recognising it as the right exco, therefore, making null and void the caretaker committee.

    “The judgment also instructed INEC and the PDP to conduct the electioneering exercise under the Ejike Oguebego exco, including the candidates participating. So, we obeyed the court order and did our primaries. The exercise was monitored by INEC and the relevant papers signed.”

    He said it would amount to injustice if the court had ruled in favour of the other group, comprising Andy, Ms. Oduah and others, who allegedly did not undergo any primaries nor visited Anambra.

  • Tension in Anambra PDP over congresses

    Tension in Anambra PDP over congresses

    Several members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State have kicked against the conduct of last Saturday’s ward congress of the party.

    The conduct was led by Ejike Oguebego and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    But another one was conducted on Sunday at the Finotel Hotels in Awka, the state capital.

    Security operatives dispersed the handlers with tear gas.

    Some chieftains of the party held a meeting at the Marble Arch Hotels in Awka on Saturday. But it ended in fracas.

    The Senator Ibrahim Mantu-led caretaker committee on the congress relocated to a second hotel (Finotel) when the fracas was getting out of hands.

    It was learnt that the caretaker committee set up by the national PDP to oversee the party in Anambra, led by Gen. Karma (retd) and Alkibu Dalhatu as Secretary, was rejected by the PDP members.

     

     

    Following the commotion caused by the Mantu committee, it was learnt that the faction elected three delegates from each ward on Sunday.

    But Oguebego said the congress in the 326 wards was hitch-free.

    He noted that with the successful congress, the PDP was set for next year’s elections.

    He urged other party chieftains to unite for the party to be victorious.

    Four PDP local government chairmen – Humphrey Ezeike (Aguata), Comrade Nnamdi Ikeomor (Ayamelum), Ogwo Gerard (Anaocha) and Livinus Nwokike (Orumba South) – said yesterday the storm was over in the state PDP.

    One of the PDP chieftains, who spoke with The Nation yesterday in Awka said Gen Karma, a former Military Administrator of Plateau State and his caretaker committee would remain in the state, pending the inauguration of a new state executive.

    But INEC said it was only the Oguebego-led group that it recognised.

    The commission said last Saturday’s congress was peaceful.

    INEC’s spokesperson Frank Egbo said the commission dispatched its workers to monitor the congress in the 21 local governments and 326 wards in the state.

    He said INEC was not interested in what goes on in any party, adding that it was only interested in discharging its functions.