- Award N10 million in favour of Candidate
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Friday declared Chief Valentine Ozigbo as the authentic Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP in the November 6 ,2021 Governorship Election in Anambra State.
The decision taken by a 3- man panel led by the President of the Court,Hon Justice, Monica Dongban- Mensem held that the appeal filed by Ozigbo challenging the judgement of the Awka High Court which restrained him from parading as candidate of the PDP in the governorship election had merit and therefore was allowed.
The Court also set aside the decision of the High Court declaring it as null and void and awarded the sum of N10MILLION in favour of Ozigbo.
The Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to publish the names of Candidates in the coming elections including Valentine Ozigbo of the PDP and his running mate.
The Appeal Court’s judgement gives Ozigbo and his loyalists a reprieve following months of protracted legal battle on who flies the party flag in the November 6 governorship election.
On June 26,2021 , Ozigbo, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of Transcorp Plc, won the ticket of the PDP having scored 62 voted to defeat his closest rival, Obiora Okonkwo who scored 58 votes.. Other aspirants were Uche Ekwunife 44 votes, Winston Use 12, Chris Azubogu,10, Godwin Maduka,5 and Genevieve Ekwochi,3.
Others are Walter Okeke 2 and Chidi Onyemelukwe who scored two votes each in the election said to be keenly contested, and comprising a total of 197 statutory delegates.
Ozigbo will slug it out with former Governor of the Central Bank, Chukwuma Soludo of All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA and Former Senator , Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress APC in the election set to either consolidate on the gains of the outgoing government or save the soul of the state.
