NAN-H-152
Appeal
By Emmanuel Acha
Enugu, Feb. 16, 2017 (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, has appealed to aggrieved members of the party to bury their differences and rally round the governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The state Chairman of the party, Chief Augustine Nnamani, made the appeal on Thursday in Enugu in a congratulatory message to the governor on his victory at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
Nnamani said that it had become imperative to resolve all differences in order to sustain the pace of development being championed by the governor in the overall interest of the people.
Sen. Ayogu Eze had approached the appellate court to declare him the duly elected candidate of the party in the Dec. 4, 2014 governorship primary election held in the state.
Eze participated in a parallel primary election of the PDP where he was declared the winner while the state governor won in another primary election.
Nnamani said: “the party wishes to call on those who may still be aggrieved to drop their differences in the interest of the state and join hands with our visionary governor to move the state forward.
“Our governor, as a man of peace, is ever ready and willing to accommodate all shades of interests in line with his administration’s peace and development initiative.”
The chairman said that the emergence of Ugwuanyi as the then standard bearer of the party was through a transparent process and the popular choice made by the people.
He commended the jurists at the appellate court for doing justice to the parties in the case, adding that the judgment had reinforced the faith of the party in the judiciary.
“The judgment of the court only affirms the unanimous decision, goodwill, solidarity and support our party faithful and residents of the state have for the governor,” he said.
Nnamani urged the governor not to cave in to distraction, but continue with his efforts to entrench good governance in line with his people-oriented leadership in the state.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), has congratulated the governor on the victory, describing it as “the best thing for the state.’’
The Chairman of the association, Mr Cornelius Nnaji, said that the judgment was a true reflection of the wishes of the people of the state, especially those at the grassroots.
NAN reports that the appellate court on Feb. 15 had dismissed Ayogu’s appeal as lacking in merit.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Ige, the court held that in his affidavit, the appellant admitted that he did not participate in the primary election conducted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP.
The court also held that the lower court which dismissed the matter in the first instance lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit as Eze did not participate in the primary election organized by the party’s NEC. (NAN)
EOA/AEA/AEA
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