Tag Archives: Ekwunife

Enugu Appeal Court Strikes Out Ekwunife’s Application, Insists On Rerun

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The Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal, Thursday refused to set aside the earlier judgement it delivered on December 7, 2015, in respect of the Anambra Central senatorial district.

 

It will be recalled that the Appeal Court had in its judgement delivered in favour of Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, nullified the election of Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

 

The court based its decision on non-conduct of PDP primary in line with the electoral act.
However, based on recent Supreme Court judgements, which were at variance with the Appeal Court’s decision, Ekwunife approached the court praying it to set aside the December 7 judgement.

 

She equally filed a motion for injunction seeking to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from conducting the rerun election.

 

But in a judgement by the 5-man Appeal Court justices, the court refused to grant the injunction.

 

It equally held that it cannot set aside its earlier judgement, maintaining that there must be an end to the case.

The Story Of My Journey To APC — Ekwunife

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Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, whose election into the Senate was recently nullified by the Court Appeal, in this interview with journalists in Awka, spoke on her defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, her chances in the new party and against Chief Victor Umeh and why Anambra Central must not give their votes to a neophyte to become senator.

 

 

On criticisms trailing her defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and why she moved.

 

 

For the six months I was in the Senate and in different courts for PDP petitions from FCT High Court, Federal High Court, Appeal Court to Supreme Court. I spent the whole six months going from one court to the other. Everybody was claiming to be the candidate of the party.

 

 

When we did our primaries, and I emerged as the candidate, other people started declaring themselves as candidate of the party and went to court.

 

 

When the election was nullified, I thought that they would have used that opportunity to reconcile all the factions. I made every effort for reconciliation to happen but it was impossible. I sent a letter to the party notifying them of the nullification of my election and requesting for fresh primaries to be conducted by the party.

 

 

I actually do not want to criticize the party but at the same time I felt that with the nullification, the party should have been proactive enough to put the house in order because there are certain things candidates or members can do, and I believe that there are certain obligations the leadership of the party should carry.

 

 

When we had stakeholders meeting in Awka with the state chairman of the party, all other members came and at least two of those that took me to court came and I saw the vehemence. One of them said, if the Court of Appeal didn’t nullify the election that he would have nullified it in the Supreme Court.

 

Result sheets from different wards
When I took the microphone, I said they should look at our result sheets from different wards and polling units, with that you know who ran the election and who has the capacity to win election again for the party. Some of them claiming to be candidates lost in their wards.

 

 

After that meeting I left, that was on a Monday or Tuesday and the party sent out a paid publication that they are postponing indefinitely all activities relating to congresses and primaries until Olisa Metuh (detained national publicity secretary of the PDP) is released from detention. The publication was in almost four national newspapers.

 

 

Even when they cancelled the election some leaders from South East called me on phone and said that since they have nullified the election and requested for fresh election, why don’t we use this opportunity to play national politics? But I was scared of what people will say, will they say that I was entering another party? So, I said let me continue with my party, but when that publication came out, I had no choice anymore than to move because this is a time bound election, if we do not do primary before Tuesday or Wednesday next week (January 19 and 20) no party will have a candidate anymore. And they said that they are postponing indefinitely, giving condition that until Olisa Metuh is released, and who knows when he will be released? At that point I had no choice anymore because I believe that Metuh’s detention has nothing to do with lawful activities of a political party. That was the last stroke that broke the camel’s back.

 

 

Your reason for leaving PDP for APC appear plausible but there is this impression that you are an itinerant politician, that in the last seven to eight years now that you have moved to four or five parties, PDP, PPA, APGA, PDP and now APC, giving an impression of restlessness.

 

 

Victor Umeh, moved from PDP to APGA and when he was fighting in APGA he thought he wouldn’t win, joined to form Accord with the intention of moving to Accord, until he succeeded in staging a coup against Chekwas Okorie and he stayed back otherwise he would have been the chairman of Accord now. That’s three parties. The constitution has given the right to freedom of association and freedom of movement, you can’t hold anybody.

 

 

On her chances in APC

I went through APC’s manifesto and constitution, once you are a member of APC you have the same right and privileges with old members, the only difference is that you are not executive of the party.

 

 

Capacity and capability

What should be paramount for any political party is the capacity and capability of the candidate to deliver and the sincerity of that candidate to face the electorate. That is what should be considered. I’m very hopeful and very certain of winning. We are not foreigners irrespective of political parties, affiliations and our religious background.

 

 

I believe and I’m very confident that I will win the primaries because they are not going to import foreigners to come and vote.

 

 

On how stakeholders in Anambra Central received her defection

Some initially didn’t know what was going on and were a bit skeptical but those of them who followed the trend of events in PDP were very happy and supported the movement. We have started explaining to some of them that didn’t know and they now understand. That’s exactly what happened and it has caused a rush into APC in this senatorial zone and even beyond.

 

 

I am from Anambra South, Igboukwu in Aguata Local Government, that is the biggest clan in Anambra, then I married to Anambra Central and I bet you that because of me many people in Anambra South are moving into APC.

 

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

Anambra Central: Why I Joined APC– Ekwunife

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Senator Uche Ekwunife recently de­fected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview in Awka, she gives reasons for her defection, why she will win the rerun election for Anambra Senatorial seat among others.

Excerpts: Your move from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has generated debate in the state, what was the motivation?

What happened was that for the past six months I was in the Senate, I was in different courts for PDP petitions; from FCT High Court, Federal High Court, Ap­peal Court to Supreme Court. I spent the whole six months going from one court to another, everybody was like claiming to be the candidate of the party. When we did our primaries, the national commit­tee that came to do the primaries did our own primaries but when I emerged as the candidate, other people started declaring themselves as candidates of the party and they went to court.

So, when the election was nullified, I thought that they would have used that opportunity to reconcile all the factions and it appeared that the problem was not abating at all. I made every effort for rec­onciliation to happen but it was impos­sible. I was the one that wrote with my letterhead; I sent letter to the party notify­ing them of the nullification of my elec­tion and requesting for fresh primaries to be conducted by the party.

Different people with different stories, I actually do not want to criticize the party but at the same time, I felt that with that nullification, the party should have been proactive enough to put the house in or­der. Because there are certain things can­didates or members can do, and I believe that there are certain obligation the lead­ership of the party should carry. When we had stakeholders meeting in Awka with the state chairman of the party, all other members came and at least two of those that took me to court came and I saw the vehemence. One of them said, if the they didn’t nullify the election that he would have nullified it in the Supreme Court. And I said it was like King Solomon that was adjudicating between the case of two women claiming ownership of a baby. One told the king not to kill the child that when the child grows, he should know the mother and the other one said cut the child into halves. Of course, you now know who won that election.

When I took the microphone, I said they should look at our result shit from different wards and polling units and with that you know who ran the election and who has the capacity to win election again for the party. Some of them claiming to be candidates lost in their wards. After mak­ing my own contribution, they all thought that everybody should be going to the wards again to talk to them before talk­ing with the delegates in different wards. After that meeting, I left, that was on a Monday or Tuesday I can’t remember but on Wednesday evening, one media person told me there is a publication from my party, I said what publication and she said it’s a paid publication. I sent my email, she scanned the publication for me and behold, the party sent out a publication that they are postponing indefinitely all activities relating to congresses and pri­maries until Olisa Metuh is released from detention. And on Thursday, the publica­tion was in almost four national newspa­pers. Even when they cancelled the elec­tion, some leaders from South East called me on phone and said that since they have nullified the election and requested for fresh election, why don’t we use this op­portunity to play national politics. But I was scared of what people will say, will they say that I was entering another party? So, I said let me continue with my party, but when that publication came out, I had no choice anymore than to move because this is a time bound election; if we do not do primary before Tuesday or Wednesday next week (January 19 and 20), no part will have a candidate anymore. And they said they are postponing indefinitely, giv­ing condition that it will be until Olisa Metuh is released, and who knows when he will be released? At that point I had no choice anymore because I believe that Metuh’s detention has nothing to do with lawful activities of a political party.

And Anambra Central is the most dif­ficult zone today and I’m sure, Bayelsa as a state has 840,000 registered voters, Anambra Central has 720,000 registered voters and is on a flat surface. It’s some­where you can navigate within minutes.

I know what I passed through during that election. As a woman, to win such election in Anambra State is not a joke. So, that was the last stroke that broke the camel’s back.

Credit: Sun

Anambra Central: Ekwunife Gets Opponent For APC Ticket

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The field may get narrower for Senator Uche Ekwunife as pioneer national woman leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sharon Ikeazor, has indicated interest to contest the Anambra Cen­tral Senatorial District rerun on the platform of the party.

Ikeazor, who has held several positions in the party, would have Ekwunife, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe and others to contend with in the fight for the ticket.

Speaking when she submitted her letter of intent to the state Chairman of the party, Mr. Emeka Ibe at the state secretariat, Ikeazor said she had garnered enough experience to serve her state and people in that capacity and would bring her experience in par­tisan politics to bear in the Senate if elected.

She vowed to represent the interest of the party with pride and great honour if given the ticket and eventually wins the seat, adding that she would ensure that laws and policies that would be in line with the belief and principles of President Muham­madu Buhari’s administration were pursued.

Credit: Sun