By CHARLES IWUOHA

A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Thursdaynullified the candidacy of Barrister Silas Onu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the February 3, 2024 Ebonyi South senatorial bye-election.

The court’s ruling affirmed that the party failed to conduct the required three-man ad-hoc and one-man national delegates who were mandated to vote in the primary election.

As a result of the ruling, the Court ordered the immediate removal of Onu’s name from the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) portal, marking a significant turn of events in the electoral landscape.

The Court further mandated Barrister Silas Onu to pay one million naira to each of the plaintiffs for leading the Party astray.

Reacting, Barrister Silas Onu, PDP Senatorial Candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial Bye-election who faulted the ruling of the Court stated that the Party will immediately file a Notice of Appeal to ensure that the Party’s participate in the forthcoming election was not jeopardised.

“While we acknowledge that the judgment is contrived and deliberately done for political reasons, we are filing our notice of appeal immediately to ensure that we legally continue our participation in the election. Our supporters are called on to come out in their numbers and vote for PDP on Saturday 3^rdFebruary, 2024.

“Today, we received a contrived judgment from Justice Ngajiwa of the FHC Abakaliki that PDP did not give INEC 21 Days Notice of Congresses for the Bye-Election.

“It is interesting that INEC Abakaliki were the ones arguing about none issuance of 21 days Notice to them. The REC, who is an active APC agent, deliberately refused to attend our activities even with notices given to them.

“They monitored our primary election and asserted so. Yet, justice Ngajiwa chose to ignore plethora of superior Court decisions on internal party affairs, even the recent Supreme Court’s decision on Plateau State. He pretended not to know that this is a bye-election and also that he doesn’t understand internal party affairs.

“I have always been of the opinion that a judge only gives bad judgment for one of two reasons – either he is manifestly incompetent or unashamedly corrupt. Whichever the reason, a bad judge has no place on the bench.

“The obvious design of the judgment given two days to election is to create confusion in the process and ensure that our teaming supporters are discouraged from voting – it is sad that a judge will make himself available for such a hatchet job. The conduct of the judge is beneath the hallowed chamber he sits in and a disgrace to the entire judicial community and legal profession.

“The FHC is not the final court in pre-election matters and as such our participation is sacrosanct and our votes will count. God bless the PDP and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC is currently campaigning for its Senatorial candidate, Professor Anthony Okorie Ani in the five Local Government Areas that make up the zone in the State

The five Local government Areas include; Onicha, Ohaozara, Ivo, Afikpo and Edda.