Anambra PDP: Ejike Oguebego Faction Demands Certificate Of Return

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State is far from being over.

This comes as the Ejike Oguebego-led faction of the party is demanding for the immediate issuance of Certificate of Return to its members who participated in the national and state assembly elections.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, spokesperson of the group, Honourable Tony Offiah said that the suit by INEC seeking an interpretation of the January 29 judgment of the apex court is a ploy aimed at preventing the PDP faction from realizing their electoral mandate.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday declined jurisdiction to review its judgment delivered on January 29 in the leadership dispute within the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The apex court noted that by its rules and the provisions of the constitution, it lacked jurisdiction to review its own judgment.

Ruling on an application filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking clarifications and consequences of the judgment, Justice John Okoro held that the judgment by its ordinary meaning did not need to be subjected to any clarification.

In the unanimous ruling endorsed by the 5-man panel of the court, Justice Okoro said that the dispute on whether the Certificate of Return should be withdrawn from the serving lawmakers and giving to the list of candidates of the Oguebego faction was not an issue before the court and that the court never made any pronouncement to that effect.

The January 29 Ruling

The Supreme Court in the Januray 29 ruling, re-affirmed the chairmanship of Ejike Oguebego as the authentic State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

The Supreme Court also declared the list of candidates submitted by the Ken Emekayi-faction illegal.

Mr Oguebego had sued on behalf of themselves and others including Mr Chris Uba, who is the Anambra South Senatori­al Zone candidate for the apex court to determine who were the legal and validly nominated candidates of the party to stand for the last general elections for the party in the state.

The faction says that going by the ruling, the list of nominated party candidates in the last election from the Oguebego-led executive of the Anambra PDP is the only one to be recognised by the INEC.