Appeal Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja has restored Senator Obinna Ogba as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State for 2023 Poll.
Earlier, a Federal High Court in Ebonyi declared the rescheduled primaries which produced Senator Ogba as the candidate invalid and recognised Dr Ifeanyi-Chukwuma Odii as the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the party for the 2023 polls.
It would be recalled that the party rescheduled and conducted a fresh primary on June 4 and 5 after an initial primary held on May 28 and 29 and produced Odii as a governorship candidate.
The rescheduled exercise of June 4 and 5 produced Senator Obinna Ogba as another gubernatorial candidate of the party.
High Court Judge, Justice Fatun Riman, said the repeated primaries in the state were invalid as it was not monitored by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the Appellate Court in a ruling delivered on the 6th of September, Set aside the decision of Riman of FHC Abakaliki delivered on the 19th of July 2022 with suit number, FHC/AI/CS/105/2022 in it’s entirety.
The appeal panel also awarded cost of 200,000 to the Chukwuma Odii ifeanyi
