The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has indefinitely postponed the earlier scheduled Saturday senatorial re-run election for Anambra central district following a court order.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr. Lawrence Azubike, hinted on the sudden postponement on Monday, March 1, 2016 during a stakeholders’ meeting at Professor Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka,

Though, the REC did not disclose detail of the nature of the court order, it was gathered that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on Monday issued a judgement ordering INEC to include the Peoples Democratic Party in the re-run election.

It would be recalled that INEC had earlier barred the PDP from participating in the re-run election following a Court of Appeal judgement of December 7, 2015 that nullified the March 28 election of the party’s candidate, Mrs Uche Ekwunife.

The appellate court had in the judgement stated that “The 11th respondent (Ekwunife) has been barred from participating in the Anambra Central senatorial election.”

As a result, the PDP approached the Federal High court, Abuja to cause INEC to allow it to participate in the re-run which the court granted to the party’s favor. That it was gathered culminated in the postponement of the poll by INEC.

Reacting to the judgement, the candidate of APGA in the re-run election, Chief Victor Umeh described the Federal High Court jugement as absurd saying that the judgement negated the principle of rule law that every decision of the court above should bind all courts below.

He maintained that a Federal High court lacked the power to assume jurisdiction in a matter already adjudicated by the Court of Appeal.

He however threatened to drag the Federal High Court judge to the National Judicial Commission for what he called brazen impunity and misapplication of the law.

Umeh also threw punches on the former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi accusing him of plotting it all against him (Umeh).

He said: “We shall crush him and all his evil plans. That is why I said he should embrace Christ, because his mind is full of evil.”

Information has it that the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi may emerge a consensus candidate of the PDP in the re-run election if the party eventually becomes part of the election.

Former commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in the state, Chief Joe Martins Uzodike, disclosed this on Tuesday in a press briefing in Awka.

He hinted that top PDP members had consistently pressured Obi to contest the senatorial re-run, adding that the former governor “has no option but to oblige.”

However, the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Oye has described PDP’s plot to draft ex-governor Obi into the re-run race as a wishful thinking.

In his words, “We are not afraid of any person in this election. We have the capacity to crush anybody in the re-run, including Obi but our argument is that Peter Obi is not qualified for this re-run.

“The law is clear on this, that only candidates that contested the annulled election shall be qualified to participate in the rerun. Obi is not part of it.”

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