Ebonyi Bye-Election: Court Disqualifies Atiku’s Anointed PDP’s Silas Onu

• The senatorial ambition of Silas Onu, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ebonyi South, has suffered a major setback
• The federal high court in Abakaliki has disqualified Onu from the senatorial race slated for Saturday, February 3
• Onu, on the other hand, has vowed to appeal the judgment, and he's been endorsed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro

Abakaliki, Ebonyi - The People's Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial candidate, Silas Onu, has been disqualified for the upcoming Ebonyi senatorial bye-election by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki.

Justice Ngajiwa, in his verdict, highlighted that Onu did not provide the required 21 days' notice of congresses to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the bye-election.

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This decision comes just two days before the scheduled senatorial election.

In response to the court's decision, Onu expressed his belief that the timing of the judgment, just two days before the election, was deliberately intended to sow confusion and demoralise his numerous supporters, discouraging them from participating in the voting process.

Despite being disqualified by the ruling, he reassured his party followers not to be afraid, emphasising that he plans to appeal the judgment and remains committed to participating in the election.

As quoted by the Nigerian Tribune, he said:

“The obvious design of the judgment given 2 days to election is to create confusion in the process and ensure that our teaming supporters are discouraged from voting.

“While we acknowledge that the judgment is contrived and deliberately done for political reasons, we are filing our notice of appeal immediately to ensure that we legally continue our participation in the election. Our supporters are called on to come out in their numbers and vote for PDP on Saturday 3rd February 2024."

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Atiku endorses PDP’s Silas Onu to occupy Umahi’s vacant seat

Before the court judgment, former vice president Atiku Abubakar urged Ebonyi South Senatorial District supporters to troop out in their numbers and support the PDP candidate.

Atiku in a Facebook post, wrote:

“It is my appeal to voters in the Ebonyi South senatorial district to give their unalloyed support to Barrister Silas Onu and, by so doing, vote for the Peoples Democratic Party in Saturday’s by-election.

"The people of Ebonyi South Senatorial District, the Senate and indeed Nigeria stand to gain from Silas Onu’s multiple set skills and the vibrancy of his youth.”

By-election: 4 political parties collapse structure for APC candidate in Kaduna

Elsewhere in Kaduna, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have begun to gain the upper hand ahead of the forthcoming by-election.

In the Chikun Constituency of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, candidates from four political parties have collapsed their structure for the APC candidate.

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Source: Legit.ng