A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Mr. Silas Onu, has raised concerns about Governor Francis Nwifuru’s actions, asserting that they contravene the law.
Onu pointed out that Governor Nwifuru contested the governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) while still paying PDP membership dues until March 2023 when the election occurred.
His remarks came following the tribunal’s ruling, which upheld Nwifuru’s victory in the March 18 poll. Onu, a legal practitioner who appeared on a recent episode of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, argued that the APC could not sponsor a member of the PDP, citing Section 177 of the constitution.
“What we are saying is that the APC cannot sponsor a member of the PDP as clearly provided under Section 177(c),” he emphasized.
Onu backed his argument by pointing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) membership registry, which he claimed “plainly” listed the candidate’s name under the PDP rather than the APC.
When asked about the tribunal’s ruling that the case revolved around Nwifuru’s qualification, Onu firmly asserted, “It is about qualification.”
According to him, as of March, when the election occurred, “this man [Nwifuru] we are talking about paid his membership dues in the PDP. In the membership register of parties obtained from INEC, his name is not under the APC; it is under the PDP.”
Onu expressed frustration with the legal system, suggesting that the intended effects of the law and the qualifications outlined in Section 177(c) of the constitution seemed to have been rendered ineffective.
“The law appears to be of no effect, and the qualification outlined in Section 177(c) serves no purpose. We should consider removing that section,” he concluded.