By PAMELA EBOH, Awka, with additional Agency reports

Two courts in Awka, capital of Anambra State, today, Monday, July 19, 2021, gave contradictory orders to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with regard to who to recognise as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 6 governorship election in the state.

First to rule on the matter was the Federal High Court, which in the morning ordered INEC to publish the name of Valentine Ozigbo, who was earlier given the Certificate of Return by PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, after winning the party’s June 26 primary election, as the rightful candidate.

However, later in the day, a State High Court ordered INEC to include the name of Senator Ugochukwu Uba as the PDP candidate for the November 6 poll.

While the Federal High Court suit was lodged by Ozigbo, the litigant at the State High Court was Senator Uba, who argued that the party primary election held by his faction was in line with the guideline of the party. The court also awarded a cost of N10 million against Ozigbo and PDP, to be paid to Uba as cost of litigation.