The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State yesterday expressed confidence that the law would prevail over politics and political persuasion as it would remain resolute in the quest to reclaim its mandate and rescue the state.
The party’s director of strategic communications, Chief Abia Onyike, said in Abakaliki that the party was optimistic that the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja would resolve the “brazen and reckless” attitude of legislators by defecting from one political party to another.
He said the party in its petition was challenging the declaration and return of Rt Hon Francis Nwifuru as governor in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, adding that his membership of the PDP subsisted when he was sponsored to contest in the poll on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
“The adoption of our final written addresses in the election petition brought by Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii and the PDP against the return of Francis Nwifuru of the APC had been done.
“The main ground of the petition is the petitioners’ claim that Rt. Hon. Nwifuru, being a PDP member at all material times concerning the 2023 elections, remained a PDP member and is therefore not eligible to have been sponsored to contest the Governorship election in Ebonyi State by APC.
“Section 177(C) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria ( as amended) is clear on sponsorship of candidates by political parties. Recall that His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Nwifuru was elected to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly in 1999, where he served until May 2023 as its Speaker.
“It is hoped that this petition will help to resolve the brazen, reckless and unjustifiable practice of legislators who after being elected under the platform of particular political parties, throw caution to the wind and purport to cross carpet or defect to other political parties without relinquishing their membership of such legislative Houses in sheer disregard of Section 109 (g) of the said 1999 Constitution.”
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