Court threatens Muazu, others with jail term

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic
Party, Adamu Mu’Azu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has served the
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,
Adamu Muazu, an order warning him about the
consequence of disobedience to its ruling over
the conduct of the party’s primary election in
Oyo State.
The court in Abuja had earlier given a ruling,
which said only delegates presented by three
of the five members of the Aliyu Idi-Hong Ad-
hoc Ward Congress Panel should be used by
the party for its primary elections in Oyo State.
But the party, as well as delegates from the
congress, waved aside the ruling to conduct the
Monday primary, using statutory delegates
instead.
The order dated December 9, 2014, warned
that unless the party and others obey the
directions contained in the ruling instituted by
the party’s House of Assembly aspirant, Mr
Adelowo Ademola, they would be guilty of
contempt of court and liable to be committed
to prison.
Apart from the PDP chairman, others who also
received the order are the National Secretary of
the party, National Legal Adviser and the
National Organising Secretary.
In the ruling given by Justice E.S Chukwu, the
court declared that the only valid list of the PDP
primary election in Oyo, for the selection of any
candidate into offices of state House of
Assembly, National Assembly and governor of
the state was the list of candidates who
emerged from the ward congresses, held on
November 24, 2014 in the 351 wards in the
state, as contained in exhibit ‘G’ of the
originating summons.
Meanwhile, a former National Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party, Okwesilizie Nwodo, is
set to battle Mu’azu and other members of the
National Working Committee over the outcome
party’s senatorial primary conducted in Enugu-
North senatorial District.
Nwodo said he was not comfortable with the
party’s plan to adopt the result of the primary
submitted by the electoral panel led by Sen.
Anthony Manzo, which was said to have
declared Chukwuka Utazi as the party’s
candidate for Enugu-North senatorial zone.
At the Manzo-led election, which was held at
Government Field, Nsukka, Utazi polled 324
votes, to beat Nwodo who scored four votes,
while another aspirant, Martin Oke scored three
votes.
But at another primary, Nwodo was
pronounced winner of the election.
A member of the PDP’s NWC, however, said the
party had taken a position to recognise the
result submitted by Manzo, who incidentally is
the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, David
Mark.