Amazing: INEC excludes PDP from Anambra Senatorial Election...

 The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has left out the name of PDP from the March 5 Senatorial rerun for Anambra State according to one of the candidates in the Election. In a press statement issues by the Obiora Okonkwo campaign organization, they alleged that INEC seems bent on excluding the PDP from the Election by ensuring that the party's candidate is not among those displayed by the Commission as required by law, prior to the election. Full detail of the press statement isposted below.
RE: Omission of PDP from the March 5, 2016 Anambra Central Senatorial Re-run
We have noted the grave error of omission made by INEC in its 'Public Notice' on the above, which was issued on 1st February, 2016. In the 'Annexure B' to the said Notice, INEC purportedly excluded our great party - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from participating in the ordered re-run poll.
On behalf of our candidate, Dr Obiora Okonkwo, we have formally contacted INEC and alerted it to this grave error of omission; and demanded that it be rectified without delay. Our party, the PDP had also done the same. Such anomaly is a gross violation of the pertinent law, and thus cannot be allowed to stand.
We believe that INEC might have made this error due to the state of utter confusion and stampede created by those determined to block the good people of Anambra Central from quality representation in the Senate. This will not be.
For avoidance of doubt, the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Victor Umeh v. Ekwunife ordered a re-run election; and there is nothing, either implied or expressed, in the judgment that suggests that PDP should be excluded from the re-run. Such was not even canvassed as an issue in that case. If any, the judgment finally cleared the path for the rightful PDP candidate to participate in the ordered re-run.
To be sure, under the Electoral Act, INEC has no authority to exclude a registered political party from participating in an election, especially when such party has a candidate in good standing, and did not request to be excluded. The Supreme Court had repeatedly held that any election with such anomaly is a nullity and thus cannot stand. That the coming election is a re-run does not create an exception.
And to further drive our points home, a re-run election, as ordered by a Court, requires that ALL the political parties that participated in the annulled election are again given a second chance to participate in a new election. The only thing that changed, per the judgment of the Court of Appeal, is the lawful candidate for the PDP. INEC knows who that candidate is; and therefore should be guided accordingly.
Signed:
Okechukwu Chukwuogo
DG, DCO