Former Delta governor Emmanuel Uduaghan out of Saturday's senatorial contest after court nullifies his candidacy

FORMER Delta State governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is unlikely to participate in Saturday's senatorial elections after an Abuja high court nullified his candidacy as the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for Delta South Senatorial District.

Between 2007 and 2015, Mr Uduaghan was the governor of Delta State, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In May last year, however, he left the PDP and joined the APC and was nominated to be the party's candidate in his senatorial district and had hoped to participate in this weekend's elections.

However, his hopes are now hanging by a thin thread as yesterday, an Abuja court ruled that the APC, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), should conduct fresh primaries for senatorial aspirants in the Delta Central Senatorial District. Mr Uduaghan's candidacy had been challenged by one his rivals Retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Terry Okorodudu.

Amuche Elumelu, the director-general of the AVM Terry Omatsola Okorodudu Campaign Organisation, said his boss approached the court to restore hope to the people of Delta South and checkmate impunity. He added that they hope that one major take-home here, is that going forward, things must at all times be done with strict adherence to due process.

Mr Elumelu added: “This is to inform all our supporters across the country, the Delta South Senatorial District indigenes in particular and Nigerians in general that an Abuja High Court today the 11th of February, 2019 declared the nomination of Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan as the candidate of the APC in the February 16, 2019, senatorial elections a nullity. The court in a suit filed by AVM Terry Omatsola Okorodudu (Rtd) ordered the APC to conduct fresh primaries for Delta South Senatorial District, to be monitored by the Inec.

“In line with our long-held position and the strong belief in the truth, equity, justice and the rule of law, we challenged the impudent shenanigan that happened at the APC Delta South Senatorial primaries. As firm believers in due process, we pursued legal options including trying the party’s dispute resolution procedures to address the subterfuge and morally reprehensible conducts that marred the primaries.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we fought this matter in court, not for personal aggrandisement but rather to restore hope to the people of Delta South, who have for too long been subjected to the throes of bad governance. We went into the legal battle to checkmate brazen impunity and with today’s judgment, the message is loud that the days politicians hijack the electoral processes without recourse to Nigerians’ sensibilities are over."

Mr Uduaghan, however, has continued with his door-to-door campaign, even as it was not yet ascertained if he will appeal the judgment. Inec is yet to announce whether senatorial elections will hold in Delta South Senatorial District on Saturday after this judgement.