Pdp Is Disqualified From The Imo West Senate Race By Court

Yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) primary poll in Abuja, which produced Hon. Jones Onyerere as its senatorial candidate for Imo West in the February National Assembly election, was declared invalid.

The primary election was declared invalid by the Supreme Court on the grounds that it was held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, rather than Orlu, the location of Imo West’s senatorial headquarters.

In a ruling on the appeal brought by Hon. Nnamdi Ezeani, Justice Emmanuel Agim ruled that PDP had flagrantly violated Section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act by holding the primary poll somewhere other than the location that was expressly designated by law.

The Apex court ruled that PDP will be disqualified from the next senatorial election as a result of its failure to field a candidate within the legal deadline.

In particular, Justice Agim ruled that the party will not have a candidate in the February 25 National Assembly election since the window for conducting primary elections to select candidates had already passed.

The location of primary elections should be clearly stated in Section 87(9) of the Electoral Act, Justice Agim said in a warning to the parties to always do their business within the bounds of the law.