Anambra Central: SDP sues INEC, Ekwunife over wrongful exclusion
SDP
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its senatorial candidate for the Anambra Central zone in the Feb 23 election, Chief Tony Chukwuelue have approached the National Assembly Election Petitions tribunal in Awka with a petition seeking to nullify the exercise in the zone.
The party sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sen. Uche Ekwunife and her party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), seeking for a fresh election to be conducted in the zone where his name and party logo shall be included in the ballot papers.
Addressing newsmen in his Abatete country home, Idemili North council area of the state, Chukwuelue decried his wrongfully exclusion from the poll without any reason, saying he had already put the electoral umpire on judicial notice.
“My name and party logo were inexplicably removed from the ballot papers for the Feb 23, 2019 election, which threw my teeming supporters who trooped out to cast their votes to me into confusion on the voting day,” he said.
Describing the experience as harrowing, Chukwuelue lamented that the situation has extensively eroded his name, image and public standing.
He said, “Many of my supporters were erroneously informed that I sold my opportunity to some other candidate.
“Those that masterminded the wrongful removal of my name from the ballot were clearly afraid of my burgeoning political popularity ahead the exercise in the area.
“I have hired a team of lawyers who had put together all the necessary documents and filed the petition waiting to take off proceedings.”
