ANAMBRA'S PDP CRISIS DEEPENS

By NBF News

By ENYIM ENYIM
ONITSHA - A senatorial candidate for Anambra South, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, who emerged from the ousted PDP National Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, committee on senatorial primaries for Anambra State, has threatened to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission and Dr Andy Uba to court should the commission fail to publish his name as the authentic candidate within seven days.

Ukachukwu and Uba, who emerged as the PDP candidate from the Obi Udeozo-led state executive of the party in the state, are both laying claim to the senatorial ticket of the PDP in the zone, but INEC granted recognition to Chief Uba.

However, Uba's name was published as the authentic PDP candidate for Anambra South senatorial zone in the commission's recent list, while Ukachukwu's name, which he claimed was submitted by the leadership of his party, was conspicuously absent.

Addressing reporters in his Osumenyi country home, Nnewi, Ukachukwu said the PDP national secretariat had written INEC on the matter without any response and insisted that he was the authentic candidate of the party because his name was forwarded to the commission as the PDP candidate for the zone for the April 2 National Assembly poll.

He said: ' I have got my ticket from my party, the PDP, and I am flagging off my campaign at Ekwulobia township stadium. So far as I am still alive, Iam still the PDP senatorial candidate for Anambra south senatorial zone.

'We have three High Court orders that declared me as the candidate of the party.And very soon, we shall go to the court to charge them for contempt of court by parading himsef(Uba) as the PDP candidate.'

He said the Benji Udeozo state executive that produced Uba was an illegal body and was not backed by the PDP national leadership, adding that there was a court order that had directed INEC to reverse its list and include his name on the list.

' Unless that is done, we shall be going back to court. Nobody is above the law. In the next few days or weeks, we shall go for contempt of court and somebody will be jailed because it is a criminal matter,' he added.