BY ADA ONWUKWE
Governor elect of Anambra State, Prof Charles Soludo, has said the APC governorship candidate, Senator Andy Uba is banking on the Imo formula (where judges instead of INEC decide the winner of an election) to emerge governor of Anambra State.
Soludo, who was candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in a statement signed by his media aide, Don Adinuba, says he is aware of Andy Uba’s game plan, stating that Uba is not a threat to his victory in the November 6 Anambra State governorship election.
“ 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 Anambra State, Uba, who could not win in even one local government area, is threatening the Anambra people with fire and brimstone as well as with 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” part of the statement stated
According to the statement, Uba has no locus standi to approach the court to nullify his election on the basis that he was never governorship candidate of the APC.
Part of the statement read “Much as the concerns of these people are legitimate and much as it is acknowledged that Uba can ordinarily sue in a democracy if he is genuinely dissatisfied with the process or outcome of an electoral exercise, Anambra people need not worry about any likely antics by the controversial former senator.
“He has no locus standi to approach the Election Petitions Tribunal. He was never the APC candidate in the November 6 election. Uba himself knows this to be the fact in his heart.
“Hence, he instructed his lawyer, Abubakar Magaji Mahmud (SAN), to do everything within his power to stop Mr. Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja from delivering judgment on November 4, 2021, on a case brought by Chief George Moghalu, Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, and a founding APC member who sought the party’s ticket to contest in the governorship election.
“Chief Moghalu is suing the party for forwarding Uba’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its nominee in the election. The reason given by Uba and his lawyer for seeking to stop the judgment was that the outcome of the judicial decision would have severe consequences for them since the election would take place two days later. Justice Ekwo, out of pity, decided to postpone the judgment. From all indications, Uba knows how the judgment will turn out any time it is given. After all, INEC has written a report stating that no primary election took place.
He said Uba has been advised against going to court to challenge the mandate given to him
“A number of Anambra people, including people from his hometown of Uga in Aguata Local Government Area, have been warning Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against carrying out his threat of going to the Election Petitions Tribunal following the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State in which he took a distant third position, despite the APC being the national governing party. The warning is hinged on two considerations: the need to build on the culture of social harmony which the state has created since 2017 when the candidates of the major parties congratulated Governor Willie Obiano on his massive reelection and the need to maintain judicial integrity since most Nigerians do not regard Uba as someone who plays by rules in political games” the statement stated
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