BREAKING: Appeal Court declares Valentine Ozigbo valid PDP candidate for Anambra Guber election

The Court of Appeal Abuja Division, has declared Mr Valentine Ozigbo as the validly elected governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Nov. 6 governorship election in Anambra.

Advertisement

Delivering judgment, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban- Mensem who led a three- man panel of justices held that the appeal filed by Valentine Ozigbo, challenging the judgement of the Akwa High Court had merit.

The appellate court set aside the decision of the Akwa High Court and declared it null and void.

It also awarded the sum of N10 million exemplary cost in favor of Ozigbo.

The judgment of the Awka High Court had barred Ozigbo from parading himself as the PDP candidate in the Anambra gubernatorial election coming up on Nov. 6.

It, thereafter, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the names of Ozigbo and his running mate as the duly elected candidates of the PDP in the forthcoming election.

While urging the electoral umpire not to allow itself to be distracted in preparation for the election, the court advised INEC to wait for the decision of the final court in the land and not hurriedly comply with the judgments of trial courts.

In July, INEC dropped Ozigbo’s name from the list of candidates for the election in obedience to a court order.

But an unperturbed Ozigbo stated INEC’s reliance on a court order in not publishing his name as the PDP candidate was “a matter of procedure and temporary”.

He said the PDP had mobilised men and resources to ensure the said order was vacated to enable INEC update its records with his name as the rightful candidate for the main opposition party.

The PDP candidate insisted that the party had forwarded only his name to INEC as its candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.