Anambra Central Re-run elections: Anambra lawmaker asks INEC to discountenance House resolution

Anambra Central Re-run elections: Anambra lawmaker asks INEC to discountenance House resolution
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ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU reports that against the resolution by the Anambra State House of Assembly, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct Anambra Central Senatorial re-run election without further delay to give the people of the zone a voice in the country’s upper legislative house, member representing Anaocha 2 constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon Charles Ezeani, has asked INEC to discountenance the resolution.Ezeani described the resolu­tion as putting the cart before the horse , appealing to his colleagues to be patient with the judiciary since some cases on An­ambra central are still pending in courts.He said in the spirit of checks and balances in any democracy, any resolution by the House ask­ing INEC to conduct the election is subjudice.Hon Ezeani insisted that the members of the Anambra state 6th House of Assembly are men and women of high integrity and could not be influenced by some desper­ate politicians who want to reap where they did not sow.‘’I am convinced that some of my colleagues were influenced by des­perate politicians who want to reap where they did not sow. I plead with my colleagues to jettison the idea of re-run for now when issues are still before courts’’.The Anaocha 2 constituency member reminded his colleagues that though Senator Uche Ekwun­ife was declared winner of 2015 senatorial election and affirmed by the Tribunal, the Appeal court set aside the judgement of the tribu­nal and called for re-run election, which she complied with, that it was a miscarriage of justice.He advised other parties to the suit to toe the line of patience and allow the court to determine cases brought before it by Senator Ek­wunife.Ezeani informed that Sena­tor Ekwunife as then Chairman of Senate Committee on Down Stream (Oil and Gas), she mobi­lized her colleagues in the sen­ate and visited various deplorable roads in the south east which led to reconstruction of some South-Eastern roads on the 2016 budget and today work is ongoing on the Enugu-Onitsha Express way, an indication that the cap of senatorial representation suits her.It would be recalled that Mem­ber representing Onitsha North 1 constituency, Mr. Chigbo Enwe­zor, moved the motion mandating INEC to conduct the re-run as was seconded by the member repre­senting Anambra East constitu­ency, Mr. Obinna Emenaka which Hon Charles Ezeani from the con­stituency in question, Anaocha part of Anambra Central senatorial zone is asking INEC to discounte­nance until all court cases are dis­posed of.The Anambra Central seat in the senate has been empty since the re­moval of Mrs. Uche Ekwunife was removed in December 2015.Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu had sacked Ekwunife, who was declared winner by INEC after the election, from the Senate on the ground that she was not validly nominated by her party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The Court of Appeal subsequently ordered for a rerun and barred the PDP from presenting a candidate in the re­run. Ekwunife later approached the Supreme Court, which also dis­missed her case. Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Em­ployment, who was the candidate All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election, had since declined to participate in the rerun due to his ministerial position and an attempt by his party to substitute him was rejected by INEC on the ground that nomination of candidates had since elapsed.Though Ngige attributed the non-conduct of the election to pending litigations, the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh argued that the Supreme Court judgment of 10th January, 2017 had settled all the legal issues, adding that there was nothing stopping INEC from fixing a date for the election. Umeh urged INEC to go ahead with the election and shut out all persons who were not part of the previous election and accused both the PDP and APC of conspiracy to stop the conduct of the election, after hav­ing been barred from presenting fresh candidates for the election.But with the lawmaker, Hon Ezeani from the constituency call­ing for a discountenance by INEC to the resolution of the state House of Assembly.