FORMER national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and senatorial candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh yesterday warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the danger of allowing improper candidates to take part in the fresh election ordered by the Appeal Court for the zone.
He specifically cautioned that allowing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) to hold primaries and nominate new candidates for the election would be a breach of the law.
Umeh spoke yesterday in Lagos during a session with newsmen. The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu, nullified election of Uche Ekwunife on December 7 and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh poll within 90 days. Ekwunife, last week defected to APC from PDP and is warming up to vie for the ticket of her new party.
Dr Chris Ngige who contested the position on the APC ticket in the March 28 election is now a minister.
PDP on the other hand is seeking to conduct a fresh primary to nominate Ekwunife’s replacement.
However, Umeh insisted that neither APC nor PDP is legally permitted to present candidates outside those that participated in the first election that took place on March 28, 2015 for the new poll.
According to the former APGA boss, allowing unqualified candidates to take part in the yet to be fixed poll will result in further nullification of the exercise by the court.
Backing his opposition against fresh primaries by PDP, APC or any party for the rerun with past rulings by the Appeal Court and Supreme Court, Umeh emphasised that every party is legally barred from presenting or nominating a new candidate for a rerun election.
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