A Federal high court sitting in Abuja, and presided over by justice Ahmed Mohammed, had recently sacked Mr Tochukwu Okorie from being the chairman of the People's Democratic Party, (PDP) in Ebonyi State, and ordered the party to recognize Barrister Silas Joseph Onu as the elected chairman.
Justice Mohammed held that Mr Tochukwu Okorie was not qualified to be nominated for the election, noting that Okorie submitted his nomination form on October 4, 2021, days after the deadline for submissions, which was October 1, 2021, inline with the guidelines on the conduct of congresses.
In this exclusive interview with Eye witness reports, Barrister Silas Onu speaks about the State of the PDP in Ebonyi, his position as the chairman of the party, the ongoing screening of aspirants as well as zoning in the State and National.
Eye witness reports - What is your assessment of the ongoing screening of aspirants in Ebonyi State.?
Silas Onu - "As you know, I resumed work yesterday and being that some things have been set in motion before I came back, it won't be proper to come and begin to disorganize things that were already on ground, but I thought that since the party Secretariat in the State is open, activities such as screening should actually hold in the State office, I've reached out to the organizing secretary to do that, but as you know, some people still try to create artificial division within the executive, so that things are happening haphazardly to justify whatever it is they're trying to sale in Abuja, but we know where we stand, and we know what we are standing on, I'm sure everything will be solved internally, and those who don't think I'm chairman will adjust in their minds before tomorrow.
Eye witness reports - The court has declared that you are the PDP chairman in Ebonyi State, the embattled chairman has also made an appeal, who do we stand with at the moment.?
Silas Onu - "You recall that on the 16th of October 2021 when the Congress was held I said the man is an illegal chairman,
"but I never stopped him from functioning because he has been declared, and that's lawful, having been declared, he functioned as chairman until the day court removed him.
"The judgment is valid and subsisting, until another judgment comes otherwise, the judgment has not been stayed, it has not been set aside, the judgment is effective that I'm chairman.
"filing a notice of appeal or transmitting it cannot stay a court order, the court of appeal act section 18 is clear on the issue that an appeal does not operate as a stay, unless their is a valid order staying this , I am the chairman.
"And in any case what are you going to stay, the court cannot stay an already completed act, I took my oath of office immediately, following the judgment, and I'm properly in office, a stay of execution cannot be granted when an execution has already been carried out, are they going to give a new judgment reversing my judgment? that would be at the end of the case.
"He has filed, my lawyers will file a response to his appeal and the court of appeal will give it's rulling.
"In any case, we are already in office, what is required of all parties is to respect the court judgement, as chairman of the state Congress, I am the one to head all the elective Congresses, if anybody purports to head any Congress starting from this Saturday, it will be invalid and all activities, plus people elected therefrom, will stand to be thrown out at the end of the exercise, I know my rights and powers as the chairman, and I'm going to exercise it fully.
Eye witness reports - What is your take on zoning, because as it's stands right now, people are saying PDP should zone it's Governorship position to Ebonyi North, while some believes it's everyone's right to participate in elections.?
Silas Onu - "As an individual, I cannot take a position on something that requires collective opinion, it is sad that the state executive committee has not taking a position on it but I believe it is actually following the steps of the National executive committee that has not zoned any office to a particular zone of the Country, as a State you cannot be doing things different from the National, if the National is leaving the ticket open, For me, it will be an act of disloyalty for you to be doing otherwise at the State level. it is a pattern, a party cannot have it's members moving left and right, if it has a direction, everybody follows it , since the National is not zoning it follows that States should also leave their tickets open, unless there is an agreeable understanding on ground, but I doubt if there's such an agreement in Ebonyi State.
Eye witness reports - Lastly sir, how prepared is the PDP to reclaim Ebonyi State?
"We are 100% prepared, Ebonyi is PDP and we are talking over in 2023 watch and see".
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