#politics : Peter Obi can’t contest Anambra senatorial rerun – Victor Umeh

The candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in the Anambra Central Senatorial rerun, Chief Victor Umeh, has said he will use every means within the ambit of the law to stop a former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, from participating in the election...


The Independent National Electoral Commission had, on Tuesday, March 1, postponed indefinitely, the rerun earlier scheduled for Saturday, March 5.

Sources said this was to enable the commission to appeal an Abuja Federal High Court’s judgment that ordered it to allow the Peoples Democratic Party to participate in the rerun.

INEC had earlier barred the PDP from taking part in the election following the December 7, 2015 Court of Appeal’s judgment that nullified the March 28, 2015 election of the PDP’s candidate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, who won the March 28, 2015 National Assembly election in Anambra Central.

The Court of Appeal had, in the judgment, ordered a fresh election in the senatorial district within 90 days.

It added, “The 11th respondent (Uche Ekwunife) has been disqualified from participating in the Anambra Central Senatorial District election.”

Addressing journalists at the second convocation ceremony of the Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, where he was conferred with an honorary doctoral degree in Political Science, on Saturday, Umeh described the entrance of new candidates into the race as an illegality.

He stated, “I didn’t come into politics to make money. I’m into politics to sanitise the system.

“Obi and his group will not contest this election. We won’t allow this perfidy of theirs.”

But Joe-Martins Uzodike, a lawyer and Obi’s campaigner in the rerun, had said what the Court of Appeal ordered in the December 7 judgment was “a fresh election”.

He added, “The Court of Appeal’s judgment was made in simple English language, and it said, ‘go and conduct a fresh election within 90 days.’”