The Former Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial district, Uche Ekwunife is now stranded with no political party to contest the court-ordered rerun election.
Ekwunife, who had dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a platform on which she won election last year into the Senate on the excuse that the umbrella party no longer had the machinery to win an election, declared for the APC.
The senator is known for dumping parties at will, particularly when such platforms must have helped her achieve her aim.
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Enugu, had in December declared the seat vacant and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The court quashed the earlier ruling of the National Assembly Election Tribunal that ruled that Ekwunife had won the seat in the March 28, 2015 senatorial election, which she contested as a member of the People’s Democratic Party.
A five-member screening committee set up by the All Progressive Congress (APC) had disqualified Ekwunife from contesting election under the platform.
The party rather selected Sharon Ikeazor, a former interim woman leader of the party, as its candidate in the election.
The appeal was filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Victor Umeh. Following her loss at the appeal court, Ekwunife defected to the APC to contest the rerun since the party’s candidate in the March election, Chris Ngige, had been appointed the minister of labour. In its report, the five member-committee chaired by Osita Okechukwu, said Ekwunife and Ikeazor, presented themselves for screening. It said at the end of the exercise, it chose Ikeazor to contest election having “fulfilled Section 4 of 2014 Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for Public Office and all relevant sections of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The panel recounted that Mrs. Ikeazor was “a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), woman leader of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and woman leader, interim national executive committee of the All Progressives Congress, as well as a member of its board of trustees,” adding that “her trajectory shows loyalty, perseverance and consistency to the emergence of our progressive party.”
“In conclusion, she is qualified and therefore, we recommend her for nomination as the candidate of our great party for Anambra State Central Senatorial District,” the panel said.
On Ekwunife, the committee observed that she was barely two weeks old in the APC. It further noted: “Most importantly, our deep concern is her record which showed that she dumps political parties at will, leaving the parties in its wake factionalised–from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), back to PDP or vice-versa and now to APC. She is more or less a fair-weather hen. Therefore, her antecedent contravenes Section 4(3) of the 2014 Guideline for Nomination of Candidate for Public Office. Caution is valour.”
It was also stated that “The score sheet in respect of the aspirants is also attached herewith for further necessary action. The committee found that aspirant Uche Ekwunife is ineligible to seek the APC nomination for the senatorial election.”
The committee, whose members include Abdullahi Aliyu, Bunmi Oririowo, Mary Aipoh and Garba Umar (secretary), said, in carrying out its assignment, it enquired into the profile of aspirants, integrity and fulfillment of all the relevant sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2010 Electoral Act and Guideline for Nomination of candidates.
Regis Anukwuoji
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
