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Monday, February 21, 2011

Abia PDP : Gov aspirant threatens to file contempt charge against party

No cause for alarm - Orji



A gubernatorial aspirant in Abia State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to file a contempt charge against the party for disobeying the order of the court restraining the party and the electoral body from submitting and recognising Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State as a candidate of the party in the April general election.

Despite this order, the governor was at the weekend handed over the flag to contest the election by the party.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had on Thursday, stopped the party from presenting Orji for the April election but the party, during the South-East zone campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan, presented the party’s flag to the governor for his re-election bid.

In his reaction, counsel for Emenike, Fabian Okwonkwo said: “The PDP in fragrant disobedience of the order of a Federal High Court in Abuja recognised Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State as its gubernatorial standard-bearer in the upcoming 2011 general election in the state.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, had on Thursday, February 10, 2011, restrained the PDP and its national chairman, Dr Bello Haliru Mohammed or their agents and privy’s from submitting to INEC or recognising Governor Theodore Orji as its gubernatorial candidate in Abia State.

The court specifically ordered that Chief Ikechi Emenike and his running mate be recognized as its governorship candidate in Abia State.

However, Governor Orji has urged the people of the state to be calm, saying he will be vindicated at the end of the court process.

A statement signed by his Special Adviser on Electronic Media, Ugochukwu Emezue, said the governor was a strong believer in the judiciary being a product of the judiciary.

He said Chief Emenike joined PDP from the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), adding that he did not have a waiver, stressing that he was never screened at Enugu by party’s national officers.

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