The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been barred by an Appeal Court in Owerri from going on to conduct a rerun primary election of the PDP for the Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency of the state.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had last week canceled the PDP primary election for Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency which produced Albert Agulanna as the winner and ordered a rerun primary within the next 14 days.

Justice Rita Pemu, who heard the appeal filed by Uzoma Ugochukwu against the PDP, INEC, Bede Eke and Albert Agulanna, ordered that the proposed rerun primary election be halted pending the hearing and the determination of the applicant’s appeal before the Supreme Court.

In giving orders, the Justice said: “Accordingly, it is hereby ordered as follows, that the order of this honourable court made on January 20, 2023, ordering a fresh primary election for Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency of Imo State pending the hearing and final determination of the applicants appeal before the supreme court on the propriety of the said order of fresh primary be and is hereby stayed.

“Consequently, by this order, the first and second respondents are hereby restrained from enforcing in any way whatever the judgment of this court delivered on 20th of January, 2023, by way of conducting a fresh primary election for Aboh Mbaise/ Ngor Okpala federal constituency.”