By Cajetan Mmuta
Confusion has enveloped the leadership and members of the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the emergence of two parallel chairmen of the party.

This followed the judgment of a High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday which removed the incumbent state chairman of the PDP, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu.

The court also pronounced that one Ejike Oguebego as the State Chairman of the party, a development that has set apprehension amongst the 16 Governorship aspirants, leaders, and members of the PDP.

The latest court verdict is coming barely two weeks to the June 26th, 2021 governorship primary of the PDP in the state.

Sadly, Chief Oguebego on Thursday had announced the sudden postponement of the ward delegate election for the primary.

Already, members of a committee set up for the Governorship primary exercise had since arrived in the state for the conduct of the delegates’ election.

Speaking on the court judgment Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu described the judgment as an effort in futility, pointing out that the courts are on strike and the plaintiff in the matter Mr. Chukwudi Umeagba, and the National leadership of the party have long withdrawn from the matter before the latest twist.

He stated that there is a subsisting order of the High Court at Federal Capital Territory Abuja which is a court of coordinated jurisdiction.

According to Nwobu, the recent judgment cannot vitiate the initial judgment of Justice A.O.Musa in 2017.

The Justice Musa judgment read in part;

that, “It’s hereby declared that the purported Anambra caretaker committee led by the Sir Chukwudi Umeagba as conveyed by the 1st defendant press statement dated 19th December 2017 is null and void and of no effect being constituted in breach of the extant provisions of the defendant constitution as amended.”

It is hereby ordered that the Executive Committee of the 1st Defendant Anambra state chapter having been duly elected in the state Congress held on the 4th December 2017 and ratified by the National Caretaker Committee at its 449th meeting held on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th December 2017 is valid and subsisting having regard to the fact that it’s tenure is unexhausted.

The implications of the above are that there is a valid and subsisting judgment protecting the leadership of Hon Ndubuisi Nwobu led an executive committee of the party and the judgment has not been set aside.

It is binding on all until set aside by any Appellate Court; Nwobu said.

But according to the suit filed by Oguebego, there was no validly conducted Congress that elected Ndubuisi Nwobu as state chairman of the party

He argued that before the Presidential Primary election of the party in Rivers State, only the local government and ward congresses were conducted, stressing that Nwobu was sworn in as caretaker chairman of the party.

At the moment the 16 Governorship aspirants of the party are at crossroads over their fate in the June 26th Primary election if the exercise will indeed take its full course due to the recent judgment.

Most of the aspirants’ contact on Thursday kept sealed lips over the latest twist.

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A source close to one of the aspirants said the judgment was subjudice and contemptuous of the court process.

It would be recalled that since 2010 the Ejike Oguebego faction of the PDP in the state has been laying claim to the chairmanship of the PDP even outside the party secretariat in Awka Anambra state capital.

Also, one Prince Kenneth Emeakayi had insisted that he was the duly elected chairman of the party.

As at the time of this report, Chief Nwaobu and key leaders of the PDP were in a marathon meeting to review the court judgment.