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Tag: Silas Onu

  • Court nullifies PDP candidate’s participation in Ebonyi South by-election

    Court nullifies PDP candidate’s participation in Ebonyi South by-election

    The Federal High Court in Abakaliki on Thursday, February 1, nullified the candidacy of Silas Onu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Ebonyi South senatorial bye-election scheduled for 3rd of February.

    Ruling on the matter, Justice Hyeladziya Ngajiwa affirmed that the party failed to conduct the required three-man ad-hoc and one-man national delegates who were mandated to vote in the primary election.

    The Court, therefore, ordered the immediate removal of Onu’s name from the INEC portal.

    The Court further mandated to Onu to pay one million naira to each of the plaintiffs for leading the Party astray.

    Reacting, Silas Onu, faulted the ruling adding that that the Party will immediately file a Notice of Appeal to ensure that the Party’s participate in the forthcoming election was not jeopardized.

    He said: “While we acknowledge that the judgment is contrived and deliberately done for political reasons, we are filing our notice of appeal immediately to ensure that we legally continue our participation in the election. Our supporters are called on to come out in their numbers and vote for PDP on Saturday 3rd February, 2024.

    “Today, we received a contrived judgment from Justice Ngajiwa of the FHC Abakaliki that PDP did not give INEC 21 days’ Notice of Congresses for the Bye-Election.

    Read Also: Ebonyi by-election: Police restrict movement in five LGs

    “It is interesting that INEC Abakaliki were the ones arguing about none issuance of 21 days’ Notice to them. The REC, who is an active APC agent, deliberately refused to attend our activities even with notices given to them.

    “They monitored our primary election and asserted so. Yet, Justice Ngajiwa chose to ignore the plethora of Superior Court decisions on internal party affairs, even the recent Supreme Court decision on Plateau State. He pretended not to know that this was a bye-election and also that he didn’t understand internal party affairs.

    “I have always been of the opinion that a judge only gives bad judgment for one of two reasons – either he is manifestly incompetent or unashamedly corrupt. Whichever the reason, a bad judge has no place on the bench.

    “The obvious design of the judgment given 2 days to election is to create confusion in the process and ensure that our teaming supporters are discouraged from voting – it is sad that a judge will make himself available for such a hatchet job.

    “The conduct of the judge is beneath the hallowed chamber he sits in and a disgrace to the entire judicial community and the legal profession.

    “The FHC is not the final court in pre-election matters and as such our participation is sacrosanct and our votes will count. God bless the PDP and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” 

  • Ebonyi by-election: Why I will emerge victorious – Onu

    Ebonyi by-election: Why I will emerge victorious – Onu

    Four days before the Ebonyi South senatorial by-election, Silas Onu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), revealed his plan to steer the party to success in the February 3rd election in the state.

    According to him, the PDP, despite losing the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is still rooted at the grassroots in the state.

    He stated this at a meeting with PDP ward executives from the five local government areas in Ebonyi South at his country home, Amenu Uburu, in Ohaozara LGA.

    The meeting was aimed at laying the fundamentals for PDP campaign activities across the LGAs.

    The party’s flag bearer warned other parties that the PDP will not fold its hands and allow them to truncate the people’s will to elect him to represent them.

    Read Also: INEC begins distribution of materials for Sat. rerun, by-elections

    Onu, a former state chairman of PDP in the state, stated that the party is ready for the election and will defeat her opponents.

    He noted that winning the by-election would give the party a gateway into other senatorial zones that were previously governed by the party.

    He beckoned on members of the party from the zone to be resolute and mobilize for the election, stressing that their votes will be protected.

    Onu also used the opportunity to task the ward leaders and other critical stakeholders to continue preaching the gospel of PDP in their wards and polling units’ level.

    He urged them to reach out to the local voters in their polling units, and encourage them to come out en masse and vote for PDP for their vote will count on this election to bring the change they desire in the zone.

    Reacting, the campaign director, Chukwuma Igwe assured that they will do all within their power to ensure the party emerges victorious.

    He thanked the ward executives and party supporters across the zone for standing firmly and believing in Onu and the PDP.

  • Silas Onu emerges PDP candidate to contest for Umahi’s Senate seat 

    Silas Onu emerges PDP candidate to contest for Umahi’s Senate seat 

    An Abuja based lawyer, Silas Onu has emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the February bye-election for Ebonyi South senatorial zone.

    He garnered 143 votes out of the 144 votes cast while one vote was declared invalid.

    The other candidate, Senator Ama Nnachi scored zero votes. 

    Nnachi represented the zone from 2019 to 2023. 

    He was the candidate of the party for the 2023 general election but lost to former Governor David Umahi. 

    Read Also: By-election: Ani emerges as APC candidate to fill Umahi’s seat at Senate

    The primary election held at the party’s Afikpo local government secretariat on Monday. 

    The seat became vacant following the appointment of Umahi as minister by President Bola Tinubu. 

    Onu will contest for the seat with All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Anthony Ani who emerged at the weekend from the party’s own primaries.

    The other major opposition party, Labour Party, however, produced two parallel candidates from two parallel primaries on Sunday. 

    They are Linus Okorie, a former House of Representatives member and one Mr Nwabueze Nwachukwu.

  • ‘Why I’m running for Ebonyi South Senatorial District poll’

    ‘Why I’m running for Ebonyi South Senatorial District poll’

    An aspirant for Ebonyi South in next month’s by-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Silas Onu, has said his motivation for vying for the position is to provide quality representation for the people.

    He alleged that some opponents are plotting to rig the election, using security agencies to compromise electoral officials.

    Onu said this in an interview with reporters in Abakaliki.

    He lamented that the zone had been badly represented and he had come to offer a better alternative to the people.

    Said he: “The motivation for running is service to the people. Our people have been badly represented for many years and I think our people deserve better. Representation is not about Christmas largesse. 

    “Every Christmas you come and give people motorcycles and bags of rice and people come and dance for you. It is beyond this. Representation is a whole package. 

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    “The people’s interest must be advanced at the centre. There are a lot of things you can attract from the centre to your people, both from government and other interests that exist in your zone. 

    “There are lots of ways you can promote your people, artisans can get good promotions from the senator and even civil servants, their interests can be better protected if they have a good senator. 

    “Apart from all of this, there is a passion to serve my people that is deep within my heart.  I am very passionate about it.” 

    On zoning, Onu, a former state chairman of the PDP, said his party had never given the ticket to anybody from his Ohaozara Local Government.

    He, however, noted that although zoning favoured him, he was running based on competence and not on zoning.

    He hoped he would emerge victorious in the senatorial election, no matter the pedigree of candidates other parties would field.

    “I am running based on competence, not based on zoning, even though Ohaozara has never had a senatorial ticket before in my party, PDP. I see the whole of Ebonyi South as my zone. I want to represent all the people of Ebonyi South.

    “I am not bragging, but I will beat any candidate they bring whether from Onicha or Ohaozara. I know the work I am putting into this project. I am connecting with the people, the voters. I am not planning rigging, I am not planning to write results. 

     “So those thoughts should be perished, there will be real election. People will vote and vote will count in this senatorial election. This election will not be about party, it will be about competence, it will be about persons. 

    “I am contesting to win. It is not about money, it is about the trust I have in Ebonyi south people, they know what is good and will stand for what is good. I am not stepping down for anybody. If you know my history, you will know that once I make up my mind to do something, it is only if it is not the will of God then I will not get it. 

    “I don’t have political godfathers, I have always been independent and that was what created problem for me when I ran for chairman. Because those that should have been godfathers felt they can’t control me. So they came and scattered things in the congress,” Onu said.

    He said his party had mapped out measures to thwart every attempt at rigging next month’s by-election.

    “There will be no window for any manipulation in this election. We know what they know. We will make sure we stamp all windows of cheating out. 

    “That is the only hope they have, to use security to undermine INEC. And we will make sure INEC is not compromised. We will make sure the security agencies also do their work. Let the people’s will be the determining factor in the election,” he said.