Valentine Ozigbo, an aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Anambra, has initiated legal action against the party regarding the election results.
Ozigbo, previously a candidate from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2021 Anambra gubernatorial race, referred to the APC primary that took place on April 5 as “fraudulent” and “a carefully orchestrated facade.”
The legal action, which includes the APC, Nicholas Ukachukwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents, seeks to invalidate Ukachukwu’s nomination and require the party to acknowledge Ozigbo as the legitimate candidate.
As stated in the court documents provided to reporters on Friday, the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday at the High Court in Awka.
His legal team, led by Umeh Kalu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), along with B.C. Igwilo, SAN, filed the suit, which contains supporting documents from the party’s constitution, internal communications, and delegate registers.
The originating summons requests the court to ascertain if the APC breached its regulations by permitting Ukachukwu to run as a candidate.
Additionally, in a statement shared on his Facebook account, Ozigbo expressed that the party failed to conduct a valid primary, instead orchestrating a process rife with irregularities and violence.
He claimed that what occurred in Anambra was not a genuine primary election but a manipulated event based on an invalid delegate list.
“A contrived delegate list filled with names unfamiliar to even the most seasoned party leaders was used for the gubernatorial primary.
“There was no accreditation, no order; just thugs, violence, and a herd of hired hands masquerading as delegates.” He claimed.
Nicolas Ukachukwu, who has previously served as a member of the House of Representatives, won the party’s primary election on April 5, securing the ticket by significantly outpacing Ozigbo and other competitors.
While Ozigbo garnered 67 votes, his opponents, Edozie Madu and Johnbosco Onunkwo, received 8 and 26 votes, respectively.
The Anambra gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 8.
