By Cajetan Mmuta
It is a truism that Nigerian politicians are die-hard. They don’t give up easily even when the evidence is overwhelming that the contest is not in their favour they want to fight on until they run into the cul-de-sac. Then the reality will be dawn on them that you don’t win all the battles in life; at times you win some and lose some.
After the November 6th gubernatorial election in Anambra state, where All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Prof. Charles Soludo won the election there has been a still lonely voice coming from the camp of All-Progressives Congress threatening to go to court to challenge the veracity of the result of the electoral contest declared by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).
Although, other candidates in the election had congratulated Prof. Soludo and have taken the result in good fate particularly in an election that was adjudged free and fair by all and sundry yet Senator Andy Uba and his party at the state level are head bent to seek justice at the tribunal.
Soludo consolidating on his victory
Already, INEC had at its headquarters in Awka on Friday, 12th November presented the Certificate of Return to the Governor-elect Prof. Soludo as the winner of the election and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim.
However, the people of the state are undeterred to face the new dawn with confidence alongside the ruling party’s reeling in celebration amid messages of victory. Taking a cursory look again at how the political gladiators performed at the poll will further confirm the political lineage of the Ndi Anambra at the just concluded election.
It would be recalled that in the entire exercise, Soludo polled 112, 229 votes, to defeat his closest rivals, Chief Valentine Ozigbo of the PDP who polled 53, 807 votes, Senator Andy Uba of the APC got 43, 285 votes and Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) scored 21, 261 votes. This result, no doubt, validates the thinking of the people of the state as regards who they want as their governor.
No wonder the APGA leadership remains unperturbed as they declared that they are battle-ready for Senator Uba since nobody has the monopoly of the court. Not wanting to take chances the ruling party has assembled a team of renowned lawyers to back governor-elect, Prof. Soludo when the legal tussle commences.
A former National Chairman of APGA, Senator Victor Umeh, told the media at Aguluizigbo in Anaocha local government area of the state that “Our lawyers are fully prepared for the challenge, any time Uba is ready.” “Anambra State is not Imo,” (a suggestion that the APGA mandate in Anambra state can’t be likened to the Supreme Court judgment that shockingly ‘ceded’ the exalted governorship seat to the APC in Imo state). Umeh said, “Uba has no mandate to reclaim because the people of Anambra voted for APGA. The election took place in all the 21 local government areas in the state, and he didn’t win any council area, so what is he going to court to do?”
“The outcome of the election was a true reflection of what Anambra people want. Anambra people didn’t give Andy Uba any mandate. They wanted Soludo, and they voted for him massively.” “We are used to such cases. I have been in politics for more than 20 years, so, APGA is not afraid of going to court with Andy Uba. Nothing will make Anambra people vote for a party that has nothing to offer. The Nigeria Judiciary is not an undertaker. Please tell him (Uba), we are waiting for him in court. Anambra is not Imo State, where a fourth candidate in election suddenly became a governor”, Umeh said.
While describing Uba’s litigation threat as an empty one, Senator Umeh said APGA lawyers were ready to meet Uba in court and urged the people of the state, especially APGA supporters not to lose sleep over such threat. Uba’s kinsmen were quoted as warning him not to drag Prof. Soludo to court over the outcome of the election. The Afuata elders and stakeholders under the umbrella of Nzukora Old Aguata Union said the governor-elect should not be distracted because he is also their kinsman and that of Uba.
Maybe it is only Uba that has not experienced the convivial atmosphere mood prevailing in the state where its people are eagerly looking forward to March 17, 2022, when the governor-elect will be sworn-in.
Why Uba chose legal option
Despite all entreaties to make Andy Uba drop his plan of going to court, the APC candidate refused to bulge saying the election that produced Soludo as the winner is fraught with irregularities.
Just two weeks ago Senator Uba at a meeting held in Awka the state capital with members of his campaign team and top party members reviewed the outcome of the election.
However, it was gathered that their findings had further strengthened their resolve to seek legal options.
Besides having enough grounds to challenge the declaration of Prof. Soludo as the governor-elect by INEC, senator Uba’s camp believes that the entire election was not conducted in substantial compliance with the rules governing the exercise.
While expressing gratitude to members of the party, the campaign team, and Ndi Anambra for their support, pointed out that though he never takes politics or quest for political office as ‘a do or die’ venture, he would, nonetheless, always follow the dictates of the law in seeking redress.
According to him in a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the SAUGCO, Afam Ogene said, “We will be heading to court with the discoveries we have, which shows that the declaration of Soludo as the governor-elect is faulty, pointing out that, “As governor, I was removed after 17 days of been sworn-in by the Supreme Court of Nigeria and I did not die. “So, the current development won’t hurt me. Power belongs to God, and He alone determines who he will entrust it to. This, I can assure you.”
Also, the chairman of the party in the state, Chief Basil Ejidike, said the decision to seek judicial redress is, perhaps, the surest way to ensure that those who engineered the electoral heist of November 6, do not enjoy the fruits of their perfidy.
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He said, “Ndi Anambra and the world at large would bear testimony to the fact that, on the eve of the election, the outgoing Governor Willie Obiano administration had, through its Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, told everyone that the APC had written results of ten local government areas.
“Unknown to us, however, that false alarm was aimed at deflating attention from the manipulation of the BVAS machine by APGA and a top official of INEC – a fact which a national newspaper had weeks earlier drawn attention to.”
He explained further that, “We are heading to Court. APGA and INEC are aware that they compromised during the election, and we have evidence to challenge INEC’s declaration in the Court of law.” The meeting was attended by several leaders of the party in the state, members of the National and State Assemblies, and other chieftains of the party. Although, the expiration date for filing of petitions to challenge the November 6, governorship election before the election tribunal is expected to elapse this week Monday (today).
Besides, the inauguration of the election petition tribunal is still being awaited in the state and the body is yet to receive any petitions from the 17 political parties that participated in the historic exercise. According to the law, aggrieved candidates or their political parties have 21 days from the date of declaration of results of election by the INEC to file petitions.
APGA’s reaction
However, APGA in reaction through the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don C. Adinuba said Senator Andy Uba’s threat to challenge Prof. Soludo’s election victory in court smacked of disrespect for President Muhammadu Buhari.
The ruling party reminded Uba that President Buhari had since congratulated Prof. Soludo for emerging victorious at the end of the contest hence he is embarking on a wild goose chase, stressing that he has no mandate to recover. Adinuba in a statement on Tuesday said Uba who came a distant third was not even the candidate of the party as he was allegedly imposed. “The Anambra people are satisfied that the party which took second in the election has congratulated the winner, just as the APC which came third.
President Buhari says he is looking forward to working closely with Professor Soludo, a former Central Bank governor and a member of Buhari’s Committee of Economic Advisers, for the development of not just Anambra State but the Southeast.”
He said, “It is, indeed, a mark of gross indiscipline that after President Buhari, the APC leader, has congratulated Professor Soludo on his massive victory in 19 out of the 21 local government areas in the State, Uba, who could not win even one local government, is threatening the Anambra people with fire and brimstone as well as the so-called Imo Formula which, in his fanciful world, could make a person who took a very pathetic third position occupy Anambra Government House.”
He further urged Anambra people and all Nigerians to disregard the threat from Uba and his supporters, saying all local and international observers have confirmed that the November 6 election was free, fair and transparent.
“Local and international journalists who covered the historic election are of the same view. The massive positive response in the State and beyond over the outcome of the election shows the profound legitimacy of INEC’s declaration of Professor Soludo as the winner of the November 6 election. It is time to ignore senator Uba, a bad loser who was never the APC candidate in the first place,” he said.
