By Felix Ekwu
The Delta State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will tomorrow Saturday hold a mega rally despite the wide speculation on Friday that the party does not have a governorship candidate whose name is on the published list of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
INEC Friday unveiled the personal particulars of candidates of political parties for the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections but from dependable sources that of the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Delta is conspicuously missing from the published list by the electoral umpire.
Recall that the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, July 7, 2022, in a judgment by the presiding judge, Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, ordered INEC and PDP to replace the name of Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, who won the governorship primary of the party, held on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, with the name of Olorogun David Edevbie, who came second.
Following the refusal of PDP to comply with the court order, INEC in a letter to the party’s National Chairman dated Monday, July 18, 2022, and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Orainran Anthony, said, “This is to draw your attention to Judgment Order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja in the above-mentioned suit which has been served on the Commission.
“While hoping your party takes note of the Judgement Order, please accept the assurance of the Commission’s warm regards.”
Some political pundits say INEC apart from avoiding contempt of court had to write to PDP to wash their hands off the grave consequences of the party eventually not having a governorship candidate should the party fail to do the needful.
Investigations by NewsNet Nigeria on Friday revealed uneasy calm in both camps of Oborevwori and Edevbie, with most of their supporters putting on the regalia of lawyers and churning out different interpretations of the possible legal and political implications of the party not having the name of a governorship candidate on the INEC published list.
What is not clear to many of their followers is whether the party still has the opportunity to fill the alleged blank space before August 12, 2022, which is the last day for the substitution of names of candidates for Governorship and House of Assembly without first having a name on the published list by INEC.
With the development, the essence of the party going ahead with tomorrow’s mega rally at the stadium of the Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro, without an INEC published governorship candidate is being called to question.
Many are of the opinion that the event would amount to a mere jamboree with the tendency of further polarising the party which has not lost the governorship seat to the opposition since 1999.
In a phone chat with NewsNet Nigeria, the Publicity Secretary of Delta PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, termed as speculative the information flying on social media that the party in the state does not have a governorship candidate on the INEC list.
On whether he has an idea of the person’s name on the list, Dr Osuoza simply said, “Come to the rally and you will have information that you are requesting for. So, don’t rely on those things flying on social media”.
It is expected that the PDP would do the needful as requested by INEC as a stitch in time saves nine.
