Immediate past Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan can now heave a sigh of relief as aggrieved disqualified Delta South Senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Air Vice Marshall Terry Okorodudu (retd), on Thursday, urged the electorate to vote all APC candidates in the Saturday Presidential and Senatorial elections.
This is coming after weeks of brouhaha over the candidacy of Dr Uduaghan which the two-star general had gone to contest in an Abuja Federal High Court with an order to APC to conduct a fresh primary to be monitored by INEC.
But AVM Okorodudu, in a statement on Thursday made available to TribuneOnline, said he won’t be contesting the Stay of Action court order in order not to jeopardise the chances of APC candidates in the Saturday polls.
“Yesterday the 20th of February, 2019, we were served with an Affidavit of Urgency, a Motion for Stay of Action and Hearing Notice for today the 21st of February, 2019, by the APC. (We herewith, attach copies of documents).”
“After extensive deliberations with relevant stakeholders, we have decided to play the role of the Biblical mother who asked for King Solomon to give the living baby to her adversary, rather than have her baby divided with a sword.”
“We will not be contesting the Stay of Action, so as not to put the APC’s election prospects in jeopardy,” AVM Okorodudu enthused in the statement issued on his behalf by his campaign director general, Amuche Nzeogwu Elumelu.”
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He stated further that the decision was necessary in order not to the give the opposition parties’ candidates a leeway to root out APC candidates in the Saturday polls.
“These are precarious times. The opposition has launched a vicious campaign of calumny with a view to rubbishing the 2019 elections.”
“We must close ranks as a Party and ensure we take every legitimate step to win this elections across all levels and most importantly, for President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“Having said that, we need to make it abundantly clear that this must not in any way be misconstrued as surrendering our legal or political rights, or our obligations to the people of Delta State South Senatorial District.”
“We still remain true to ideals and values for which our campaign organization has consistently stood on.”
“We call on all our supporters to go out en masse and vote massively for APC Candidates across board,” he noted.”
It will be recalled that Thursday AVM Okorodudu had dragged APC to an Abuja High Court over alleged misdemeanour in the conduct of the primaries that brought forth Dr Uduaghan as Delta South Senatorial candidate of the APC in a Court Judgement Order (Suit No.: FCT/HC/CV/017/18), APC was ordered to reconduct the primaries under the watchful eyes of INEC.
Dr Uduaghan, who was not joined in the suit, has, through his lawyers, insisted that he remains the APC candidate for Delta South Senatorial district in the February 23 elections.
Just Wednesday, Delta State Returning Electoral Officer (REC) reconfirmed during a press pally in Asaba the candidacy of Uduaghan in the Saturday poll, saying he had yet to receive any directive to his disqualification from any court or INEC headquarters in Abuja.
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