Anambra 2021: INEC lists Soludo as APGA candidate

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday unveiled names of substituted candidates ahead of November 6 governorship election in Anambra State. 

In the new list which revealed seven substituted governorship candidates and 11 deputy candidates, former Governor of Central Bank, Professor Charles Soludo, replaced Honorable Chukwuma Umeoji of the House of Representatives as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). 

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the commission had, last month, placed Honourable Umeoji as APGA candidate, following the judgment of the Jigawa High Court of June 28 which accorded recognition to Umeoji who emerged at the parallel primaries conducted by the Jude Okeke faction of the party, as against the Victor Oye led leadership where Professor Soludo emerged as standard bearer. 

However, a Court of Appeal, Awka division presided by Justice Chioma Nwosu-Ikpeme had, on August 3, dismissed an application challenging the judgment of an Awka High Court of Anambra State, which declared the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as candidate of the APGA, in the November 6 gubernatorial election in the state. 

In a similar vein, three Justices of the Court of Appeals, Kano Division in a unanimous judgment, on August 9, affirmed Soludo as the authentic candidate of APGA. INEC in a statement signed by Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said the commission was served with the judgment of the Court of Appeal (Kano Division) which set aside the judgment of the High Court of Jigawa State on the leadership of APGA and the nomination of its candidates for the Anambra governorship election. 

The commission however hinted that “the final list of candidates will be published on October 7, 2021 as provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election.” 

After INEC recognition of Soludo as APGA governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, an Imo State High Court again declared Umeoji as the party’s legitimate candidate for the Anambra governorship election. 

The judgment also favoured Chief Jude Okeke as the chairman of the party, as earlier recognised by INEC. 

The court presided over by Justice B.C. Iheaka, in a ruling, struck out a fresh court action brought by Victor Oye to stop Umeoji and reaffirmed her earlier judgment, declaring the Owerri convention that produced Jude Okeke as APGA chairman was valid.

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