INEC drops Gov Chime, Akala

*Ekweremadu and Ayogu too; *Daniel dumps PDP today,
*PDP asks Court to vacate order restraining Gov Gbenga’s
faction
ABEOKUTA—GOVERNORS Sullivan Chime and Adebayo
Alao-Akala of Enugu and Oyo States were, yesterday,
pondering their options after the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, dropped them and their
loyalists from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, list for
the forthcoming general elections.
The INEC move came as Governor Olugbenga Daniel of
Ogun State who, alongside his loyalists, were dropped from
the PDP list for the election prepared to dump the PDP for
the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, today.
Chime and Alao Akala
Governor Daniel who is President Goodluck Jonathan’s
Southwest campaign co-ordinator was conspicuously
absent at the flagging off of the Southwest presidential
campaign rally in Ibadan yesterday. He was supposedly
prevented from attending the rally by his loyalists who
besieged his Sagamu residence to protest the INEC’s
decision to recognize the faction loyal to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Delisting of Chime’s faction
Among those trapped by the development in Enugu were the
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,
Senate spokesman Senator Ayogu Eze and other members
of the Chime faction who were de-listed from the
candidates’ list first published on Monday.
The Sullivan Chime Campaign Organisation was,
nevertheless, hopeful, expressing confidence that Chime
would retain the PDP flag at the end of on-going legal
tussle.
INEC had displayed the list of 12 governorship candidates of
various political parties including Governor Chime as PDP’s
flag bearer at its Independence Layout office at about 2.00
p.m on Monday following which his supporters stormed the
INEC office in jubilation. But five hours later, precisely at
7.00 p.m, the commission removed names of the governor
and his running mate, Sunday Onyebuchi from the list.
Angered by the development, some youths suspected to be
supporters of the governor, according to a security
personnel attached to the commission, removed the names
of other governorship candidates and their running mates
pasted on the walls.
The commission said it had a directive from Abuja to
remove Chime’s name from the list because he was not the
authentic governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State, Dr.
Josiah Uwazuruonye, who confirmed the development, said
the withdrawal followed the litigations trailing the conduct
of PDP primaries in the state, adding that the removal of
Chime’s name was in accordance with the directive from
the INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of legal
services, Mr. Philip Umeadi that the name be withdrawn
without further delay.
List sent in error —Umeadi
Uwazuruonye added: “I got a call from the National
Commissioner in charge of legal matters, Mr. Philip
Umeadi, who told me that the list of Enugu State was sent in
error and that we are supposed not to have even displayed
it in the first place because of the cases going on in courts.
He asked me to arrange for the withdrawal of the list and I
accordingly directed the officer in-charge of legal matters to
withdraw it immediately.”
Although he added that the commission was yet to
substitute the name, the REC said that the commission
would await further directive, especially on the suit
instituted by Chief Anayo Onwuegbu against the acceptance
of Chime and others as candidates in the state.
Onwuegbu and 38 other candidates elected by the group
loyal to the deposed National Chairman of PDP, Dr.
Okwesilieze Nwodo had on January 31 secured an
injunction from the Federal High Court, Abuja restraining the
party and INEC from accepting the candidature of Chime and
others produced by his group, insisting that they (the
plaintiffs) were the rightful candidate produced by the
authentic executive of the party, which emerged from her
state congresses and subsequent primary elections.
The governor and his legal team had last week filed
necessary papers at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking
to be joined in the matter before Justice Abdul Kafarati, but
the Court at the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, held
that the order restraining the PDP and INEC from accepting
any candidate of the party other than Onwuegbu and others
on his list, should subsist till Monday when the case would
be revisited.
Vanguard learnt that the decision by the INEC leadership to
withdraw the list followed the protest to the Commission’s
Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega by Onwuegbu and the
other candidates from his group, who threatened to
commence contempt proceeding against the Commission
and PDP for displaying the governor’s name in
disobedience to the subsisting court order.
However, in his reaction through his Campaign
Organization’s Director of Media and Commissioner for
Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, said
Governor Chime was not perturbed at all, stressing that he
was confident of emerging the flag bearer of the party when
the issue must have been sorted out
Ugwoke said: “We have heard such unconfirmed report
about withdrawal of the governor’s name but if it is true,
then it is, perhaps, in strict compliance with due process
and full observance of the rule of law. It does not vitiate the
irreducible fact that Governor  Sullivan Chime was duly
nominated by PDP and had since filled and returned his
nomination form to INEC. We’re quite certain that in the
fullness of time, other legal issues will be sorted out and we
shall all be witnesses to the final verdict and the
corresponding commencement of other electoral activities.”
Delisting of Akala
Governor Alao-Akala was de-listed from the gubernatorial
election by INEC following a court order restraining the
electoral body from recognizing him and other candidates of
the party who emerged after a controversial State Congress.
On Monday, a Federal High Court in Ibadan warned the
commission that it would be guilty of contempt of court if it
failed to obey the court order asking it not to accept any
nomination of person for any election in Oyo State through
any primary election purportedly conducted by the Peoples
Democratic Party.
According to Justice J.E Shakarho, in a notice of
consequences of disobedience to order made available to
Vanguard in Ibadan, unless the electoral body obeys the
order given on February 1 2011, it will be guilty of contempt
of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.
About 37 members of the party who felt marginalised in the
primary election that led to the nomination of Governor
Adebayo Alao_Akala and others had instituted an action
against INEC, PDP, Dejo Afolabi and the Executive Governor
of Oyo State.
Those that filed the suit include Elder Wole Oyelese, former
Minister of Power and Steel, Former Deputy Governor of the
state, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, Senator Lekan Balogun and
others.
Though, his name had earlier been included on the list
published in nomination form marked CF 001 on Sunday, his
name was expunged from the list of candidates to contest
the April election, yesterday.
INEC office in Ibadan explained that the name was removed
following a directive from its headquarters in Abuja.
The Head, Public Affairs Department, INEC, Oyo State, Mr.
Ayodele Folami, said: “We are under an umbrella of our
head office in Abuja. We received a directive today that his
form should be removed and we have complied with the
directive.”
The court had ordered that “the 2nd to 4th defendants/
respondents are hereby restrained from acting pursuant to
their directive or instructions or presenting any candidate of
the 2nd respondent in Oyo State to the 1st respondent based
upon the result of the congresses held between 29 to 31
December,2010 or through any primary election by those
purportedly elected at the said congresses pending the
hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“That the 1st respondent is restrained either by itself or its
agents, servants, privies from receiving, accepting or in any
way acting upon any nomination of any person or persons
for any election in the state purportedly elected at the
aforesaid congress pending the determination of motion on
notice.
“That the leave is granted to the plaintiffs to serve the Writ
of Summons and all other processes in this court on the 1st
and 2nd defendants at Zambezi Crescent, Maitama District,
Garki and Wadata, Abuja respectively which are outside the
jurisdiction of this court and such service is deemed
proper.”
Daniel dumps PDP
Meanwhile, Governor Daniel who had earlier obtained the
PDP Senate ticket for Ogun East Senatorial zone but
dumped alongside his allies in favour of the Obasanjo
faction is today set to decamp to the PPN.
The decision to leave the PDP was resolved at a closed
door meeting of all the candidates in his faction who lost
out in the intra-party squabble with members aligned to
former President Obasanjo. The meeting took place in
Governor Daniel’s “Asoludero” country home in Sagamu.
Vanguard learnt, yesterday, that the PPN gubernatorial
candidate, Barrister Deji Razaq, a former staff of the PDP
State secretariat between 2003 and 2007, would step down
in favour of Daniel’s choice, Gboyega Isiaka. Razaq is
reportedly an acolyte of Governor Daniel.
It was further learnt that the PPN had, prior to the end of
submission of candidates list, also presented candidates
who would step down in favour of members of the Daniel
camp.
Speaking to a waiting crowd after the meeting with his
faction’s nominees, he said: “If they want us here, we will
stay; but if they don’t want us, we will…. But I can assure
you we will break our fast tomorrow (today).
“We did not conduct the primaries; they sent people from
Abuja. Security came, INEC came and one week after they
started everything and INEC listed those who did not
participate in the primaries as the candidates. Since I have
been taking you around, have I ever directed you wrongly?
“After fasting, it would be broken. We have fasted and we
will break our fast tomorrow (today), then you will all know
where we are going. This is Ogun State where we have
been truthful”
Daniel who was dressed in a white brocade and red cap
said “this morning I got dressed for Ibadan only to find you
people blocking the road because you are angry. God
should remove all those people making you angry; having
worked for the party for over 10 years.
“As it is, we have been truthful with the state and people are
appreciative. But some people just came to disrupt
everything. They think they are God. For a long time our
country has been led by some people who would not allow
what God has ordained to be. This led to the operation wet
e in the first Republic and then on to the civil war. Forty
years after, some people still think they can take Nigerians
for a ride.
“June 12, 1993 elections came and some people derailed it
and till today, Nigeria has not had peace. Now several years
later, the chicken has come home to roost. They are not
happy with the progress we are making in Ogun State.
Before we came in, the PDP did not win in the South West
and since we came in, PDP became a progressive party in
the South West until the impeachment of Ladoja followed
with what happened in Ekiti to hard working Fayose.
“We have not been told what Fayose stole that others did
not steal. Fayose was removed. South West then lost Ondo
State and as if that is not enough; Ekiti and Osun also went.
It is not possible for us to sit down, fold our arms and
watch all these continue to happen.”
Before storming the front of the Library where Daniel
addressed the crowd, leaders of the party including
commissioners, special advisers and assistants, party
chieftains including former local government chairmen and
Jonathan Campaign Coordinators had gathered at the Hall
within the compound castigating former President Obasanjo
in the crisis and expressed anger at how they were treated
by the party.
PDP asks Court to vacate order restraining Gov Gbenga’s
faction
Meanwhile, the PDP yesterday, told a federal high court in
Abuja that it would only recognize the list submitted to it by
Chief Joju Fadiro led Executive Committee which is aligned
to Daniel.
The party stated this on a day it urged the high court to
vacate an earlier order it made on January 26, restraining
INEC from accepting or acting on the PDP list of candidates
that emerged from primary election conducted by its
Executive Committee in Ogun State.
The PDP which contended that presiding Justice Abdul
Kafarati, erroneously granted the motion ex_parte filed
before him by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
faction, insisted that it would only issue tickets to
candidates that emerged from primaries conducted by its
Executive Committee in Ogun State.
Harmonised executive committee
Arguing its stand on the matter, the PDP through its lawyer,
Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, averred that “the plaintiffs
misrepresented to the court the fact that there was a
harmonized Executive Committee of the party in Ogun State,
led by one Chief  Dayo Soremi, when no such committee
exists and when the National Executive Committee or
National Working Committee of the party did not ratify or
approve any such harmonized Executive Committee.
“The plaintiffs misrepresented facts to this honourable court
that the Chief Joju Fadiro led Executive Committee of the
PDP in Ogun state had been dissolved when to the
knowledge of the plaintiffs there was no such dissolution.
The plaintiffs concealed from this court the fact that an
Abeokuta High Court in suit No AB/166/2010, _Chief Joju
Fadiro& 28 ORS Vs Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo & 5 Ors, had
restrained the PDP from dissolving or interfering with the
Chief Joju Fadiro Executive Committee of the party in Ogun
State.
Consequently, PDP sought for “an order discharging, setting
aside or vacating the interim order of injunction made
ex_parte order by this Court on January 26, 2011, having
been made without jurisdiction and on the basis of
concealed material facts and/or misrepresentation of facts
by the plaintiffs”, stressing that “any order made by this
court against the Chief Joju Fadiro led executive is an order
made in vain and is incompetent.”
The PDP Chairman in Ogun State, Joju Fadiro, yesterday,
sought leave of court to be joined as party in the substantive
suit.
It will be recalled that the plaintiffs, Chief Adetunji Olurin,
Babatunde Fadun, Hon. Dave Salako, Mr. Wale Solaja and
Seun Adesanya, who are said to belong to former President
Obasanjo’s faction, on January 26, secured an interim order
upon which the INEC relied upon to compile its list of
candidates for the state.
Justice Kafarati has, however, ordered all the parties in the
suit to appear before him on February 15 to argue the
matter.