‘PDP to resist attempt to rig Anambra poll’

The National Vice Chairman of the party, Southeast zone, Ali Odefa, said the election must be free, fair and credible, adding that the PDP would resist attempt either by APC or APGA to write the result of the poll to their favour.

The party’s candidate in the election, Valentine Ozigbo, has extended an olive branch to aggrieved members of the party, especially his opponent in the primaries, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who challenged his candidature at the court.

He noted that last Friday’s Abuja Appeal Court judgment, which confirmed his candidature for the election, had boosted his chances of victory in the election.

Odefa and Ozigbo spoke in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, while addressing a parley organised by the party.

Odefa said democracy must prevail in the election.

He said the Anambra governorship election would be used by the party to protect the nation’s democracy and urged the electorate to protect their votes, insisting that votes must count at the polls.

Odefa said: “Anambra election, you will write the result but you will not live to see the result. If you attempt to write Anambra governorship election result, you will die. This is democracy, elections must be free and fair; whether you are the ruling party at the federal, at the state, at the local government, you cannot write result of elections in Nigeria again.

“Mobilise our people, let them go and register to vote. Anambra is where we will use as a test case to continue to protect the democracy of Nigeria. You votes must count, it must count. We will vote and we will stay and watch our votes. They cannot write the results, it is not possible.

“Even in Ebonyi here, they keep saying ‘I am connected to the centre, I will write the result’. Where will you stay and write the results? Where will you stay and write Ebonyi results or Anambra results? It is not possible. Before you will write the results in Anambra or Ebonyi, write your will and share your property first. As God will liberate Anambra on November 6, by February 2023, God will liberate Ebonyi State.”

He described Ozigbo as a man that would bring Anambra out of the trouble they are in now and take them to the promised land.

Ozigbo described last Friday’s Appeal Court verdict, which held that he was the valid candidate of the PDP, as victory for democracy, the people of Anambra State and those who took him to court.

Premium Times had reported how the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, declared Ozigbo the lawful candidate of the PDP for the governorship election.

Having considered the lawyers’ arguments, the panel of justices led by Dongban Mensa dismissed the primary election conducted by the Chukwudi Umeaba-led faction of the party, which produced Ugochukwu Uba as its standard-bearer and validated the candidature of Ozigbo.

Ozigbo emerged from a primary election conducted by the Ndubuisi Nwobu-led National Working Committee (NWC) on June 26.

On this ground, the court ordered INEC to publish his name as the candidate of the PDP for the November 6 governorship race.

The appeal court awarded N10 million against Uba, a former senator and his lawyers for forum shopping.

Ozigbo, while speaking with reporters after the parley, called on his opponents to join hands for the victory of the party at the polls.