By Cajetan Mmuta
It was a victory dance for leaders and members of the People’s Democratic Party in Anambra State as the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja on Friday reinstated all the sacked executives of the party led by Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu.

The party executives include elected officials of the State Executive Committee, 21 LGA Chairmen and 326 Ward Chairmen, and indeed PDP Anambra State Chapter.

By the verdict of the appellate court, popular businessman and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Chris Uba may have lost grip of the party’s structure alongside his embattled factional state chairman, Chief Uchenna Umeaba, ahead of the November 6 governorship election in the state.

The judgment had also reignited life at the Chief Nwobu led PDP Secretariat located at Udoka Estate, off Enugu-Onitsha expressway in Awka, and the Campaign Organization of the Party’s Governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, Chief Valentine Ozigbo.

Both candidates of the PDP in the November 6 Anambra state governorship election, Chief Valentine Ozigbo and Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu have expressed joy and satisfaction with the Appeal court decision of the party.

They expressed optimism that the party would now be more focused on winning the governorship election.

Chief Ozigbo said the Appeal Court decision had made it clear that all other pending litigations against his candidacy would be resolved in his favor.

He urged members of the party to remain focused, pledging that God has destined the return of PDP to the Government House, Awka, to deliver good governance to the people of the state.

On his part, Chief Nwobu described the Appeal Court decision as an act of God.

He commended leaders of the party at the local government and ward levels for remaining steadfast with the party in the face of the legal verdict that had temporarily set them aside.

He assured that the state executive under his leadership would convene a meeting soon with the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Valentine Ozigbo.

The meeting according to him would “draw up a road map to ensure genuine reconciliation of all aggrieved stakeholders for the victory of the party in the election”.

However, the Court of Appeal Abuja Division presided by Justice Ada on Friday upheld the appeal in suit CA/ABJ/368/2021, wherein Ndubuisi Nwobu and Uchenna Obiora stood for and on behalf of the State Executive Committee, 21 LGA Chairmen, and 326 Ward Chairmen and indeed PDP Anambra State Chapter.

The appeal is as a result of the judgment of Honourable Justice A. O. Adeniji of the FCT High Court of Justice Abuja in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/774/2021: SAMUEL ANYAKORAH VS. PDP, NDUBISI NWOBU & UCHENNA OBIORA wherein the lower Court sacked the Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu-led executive of the PDP in the state, Local government, and ward levels.

Justice Adeniyi had replaced the Nwobu led executive with a former caretaker committee of the party headed by Hon. Uchenna Umeaba, declaring also a set of local government, and, ward executives loyal to his group as the authentic PDP leaderships at those two levels.

But the Appeal Court in its ruling set aside the decision of the Trial Court in its entirety, stating that Justice Adeniyi of FCT High Court erred in law, when he abandoned the Practice Direction, and dwelt on a matter he is very much aware that, he lacked territorial jurisdiction.

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The Court held that Justice Adeniyi’s judgment at the lower Court was considered as insubordination and as a judgment that was made with bad faith.

It, therefore, set aside the judgment, and, affirmed the leadership of the party led by Chief Ndubisi Nwobu as the authentic executive in the state, as well as all the Local Government and Ward Executives under his watch.