 We have not received court judgment on Umahi, says Ainec and the Confusion Rocks Oshun State PDP as Adeleke and Baba Yemi emerge as candidates. Well this is plus politics. I am Mary Anacorn. The Independent National Electoral Commission Ainec has said it was yet to be served the certificate copy of the federal High Court that sacked Governor Dave Umahi of a Boeing State and his Deputy Chief Kelechi Igui. Just as the younger core of the Federal High Court, Abuja, opened a new VITSA in Nigeria s political landscape by ordering the governor of a Boeing State Dave Umahi and his Deputy Kelechi Igui to vacate their offices for defecting from the People s Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressive Congress APC. Well joining us to break this down is Political Analyst Chaos Utu and Publicity Secretary of the People s Democratic Party in a Boeing State, Moaba Chika. Thank you so much gentlemen for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for hosting us too. Yes, Mr Chika I want to start with you. The PDP had said on several locations and similar cases that they were going to take issues of defection to court and I can mention a couple at Boeing. We also have Zamfair. We have Cross River which is one of the most recent. But then, Inaq is saying as of yesterday or early yesterday people had started talking about the fact that the court had sacked the governor and his deputy and even members of the legislature. This of course is like I said in the beginning is a new opening in our judiciary system in our judicial system but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the court judgment. Oh thank you. The court judgment. I think you can hear me right? Yes. The court judgment came to us as a party and as citizens of a Boeing State. It came to us. It didn't come to us as a surprise because we knew that the judiciary would give fair judgment because it is very, very bad for the political party to label and elect a candidate to run an election. Then afterwards that candidate now leaves that political party for another. It is very bad. So when we receive the news that the federal High Court has given us judgment in our favor. So we saw it as good development because this is the first time in the history of our democracy that the sitting governor could be removed in this manner. So it came to us as very good information and news. So if you were in a Boeing State yesterday, you would notice that virtually everybody in a Boeing was celebrating it. People were gathering at Bear Palace, gathering at squares, celebrating that victory. So primarily, AirBorne is a PDP State. Now leaving us for APC is just like leaving your good house for a taxed one. So PDP received that news and we are very, very happy and AirBorne people are very happy and I believe that everyone in Nigeria feels happy for that judgment. So it came to us as good thing. So we are celebrating it, we are still celebrating it and the Nigerians are joining us in different locations to celebrate that victory. So it is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for justice and victory for fair politics. Thank you. Interesting. Let's look at what Ainek is saying today. Ainek has said that they're yet to receive this court judgment and in that regard, they cannot necessarily act on anything being that until the judgment is transmitted to them. They will not be able to recognize any other person. But I want to ask, because you're a member of the PDP before I go to or to, why is the PDP nominating Iguariwe as governor and Udogu as deputy? Why the hurry to put these people in place if the modus operandi has not been followed in terms of you know what Ainek is saying and all the due processes that have to take place? There is nothing like doing in a hurry, you know, to nominate a governorship candidate for our party. You know, if you went through the judgment, you could find out, you know, you could find out that the judge said that PDP should nominate governorship and deputy governorship candidates immediately and that the state governorship vacate alongside his deputy. So there's nothing, you know, so question about it. PDP acted in language of the court said. Now, Udugu Iguariwe, honorably Udugu Iguariwe has been a local government chairman. He has been contesting elections, senatorial elections and so on and presently he's a two-time member of the House of Representatives. So we felt that Udugu Iguariwe, you know, having played politics since 1999, having played upon politics since 1999, so he has the requisite knowledge, political knowledge and leadership argument to carry on the responsibility of governing upon state. Then Chief Frederick Udogu, on the other hand, has been a House of Assembly member in the old Udugu House of Assembly and he has been a chairman of local government, commissioner, he has been a commissioner for like 12 years. He has, he was immediate past caretaker chairman of PDP in Albany State. So you could now understand these two persons, these two personalities have what he takes to take Albany to the next level so there was nothing like, you know, we had, we hurried so we just did what the court said we should do. And then I don't, this morning I had to communicate our party in a project to know if, if they have transmitted the court ruling document to, to Inet and the person I reached told me that everything had been put in place. So it is, I am surprised to hear it from you that Inet is still saying that they are yet to receive the document. So the contact I made. I think that we lost you there, Chika, but let me go to Udugu, Udugu you are a political analyst, you are looking at this from the outside. Let's take a look at the personality of the governor and as a person. Let's look at the reasons for which the governor said he left the PDP for the APC. I am sure that when the governor was defecting he had press briefings and press conferences. He gave reasons for why he left the APC, the PDP for the APC. And looking at the governor's, you know, the landmark achievements if there would be any. His movement from the PDP to the APC has it one way or the other affected his mode of leadership or how he has progressed in the state. Thank you very much for having me. First of all is that since November 17th, precisely in 2020, when the governor defected to the ruling of Progressive Congress, nothing particularly has changed about his leadership style, except that a lot of persons, he, you know, he moved into a bigger ocean. That is a bigger ocean is the ruling party. So he became more, he became more in the public view. You know, people who are beginning to question to ask, oh, who is this man that could abandon the house he has built, the house that made him, for instance, a chairman of a party of the PDP, made him an acting chairman in the first instance, later on a substantive chairman. And that was kept with the deputy governorship of the state, still under the same party. So, there was nothing to shade about the governor's style or disposition of a deputy don't mind. What changed that was that he became more noticeable, he became more known. So, what you see, I use, people celebrate as achievements, say unprecedented, they use the word development in a point, nothing but what some of us consider as a mirage. Because you, if you go through the media is the, and see the reactions of people all over the place regarding the judgment, you would not but agree with the fact that the people are not with him. How can the people be with you when people give you 393,000 and you dump the people in the manner and order you did, and you just think you can move on to another party without consideration. I mean, Charles, I'm sorry to cut in, but I'm most interested in when you say people gave him the vote. On the ballot paper, what we see is the political parties and not necessarily the pictures of the people who are running for the office, which is another kettle of fish on its own. But the people, were they really voting for Umahi or were they voting for the party? Because this is where the question lies. And this is where the caught cases are either won or lost. So, yes, people may have been voting for Umahi, but they were voting for the PDP on that ballot paper, even though he has moved to the APC. So again, there's a question mark every time people say, well, we voted for you. Did you really vote for the governor or were they voting for the party? Well, thank you very much. And that is why I love what Justice April has done. Justice Ian April has successfully set the tone for the contextual debates on the content and the imports and content of, I will even say, interpretation of the true import of Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution. Because that law is simple, that a candidate of a party in an election cannot come fast for votes on his own. It will interest you to know that there are lots of persons who, because of the other candidates in that election, including somebody like that, my brother, for instance, that's not going to get away, because it's a PDP. People who say vote PDP at all levels. And you know, it has been a traditional PDP state. So for a state that has been traditionally a PDP state, there is that inclination that the battle for the primary ticket of the party is always more intense, more fierce. In fact, before even this time, if you have a PDP ticket, you are good to go. You are as good as having won the election. You are as good as having won an election, because there was basically before now no form of opposition whatsoever to PDP in the state. So for those who are taking or presuming that people voted the personality of the governor, some of these are citizens of the governor. Some of these citizens of the governor is well known to the people of the state that even as a deputy governor, he manifested most of them. There is nothing democratic about him. He has been a full-blown dictator since his time as a party chairman. He could literally carry a ticket of a party and hand over to another person who did not even appear in the election. But the party knew, I mean, these things, you're saying this as a person, but if the party knew that he was dictatorial, why give him the ticket? If people saw that he was dictatorial, why did the members of that political party not push for another person to be given that ticket? Why are we having this conversation now? It will interest you to know that nobody, not even the PDP on their own, gave Governor Mahi the ticket even in 2015. Professor Toyabuchi Chukwu, the Minister of Justice, you followed the trajectory of my political history. You will agree that Professor Toyabuchi Chukwu was the former governor, Martin Eleshi, his boss, wanted to hand over to. And Martin Eleshi warned the boy and so touched on the character of David O'Mahe. In many publications, which I can produce the links to you, he said he cannot hand over to someone who is intolerant of opposing views, that he has known his deputy for the past four years and worked closely, and he's not worthy and fit. But yet the man was given the ticket. Yet he merged the governor of the state. With all of these things that you're saying, yet the man was given that ticket, he was made the governor of the state. And here we are crying foul. People didn't choose to elect O'Mahe on their own, even in 2015. What people did in 2015 was simply to say, oh, where has we burned our hands? Some bad park was to vote for him as the only survey candidate because there was a climate for power to shift to a point south where I come from, where the governor comes from. After 80 years in the north, 80 years in the central. So some people went backwards to do that. And because they're not for talking, in 2014 and 2018, they repeated the same mistake called voting him again in 2019. So it is not as if O'Mahe has been loved by O'Maheans. If you want to assess what I'm telling you, go to the place they call International Market, ask the average market woman that is wiped with whips every day and taxed to pay 200 Naira per day or 500 Naira per thousand sent by the governor. You will agree with me that he's so popular. He's as popular as his policies in that point. Okay. And it's as simple as that. I want to take us to the reaction of Governor David O'Mahe to the court judgment. And then, of course, when I come back, I'm going to get Chika's response. Turn the constitution and the law upside down. I've listened to the judgment of ACO and it's very obvious that he was on a mission. He was making all efforts to upturn the rulings of the Supreme Court and appeal courts on issues like this. We have had the rumors before now that he was determined to give judgment against all known laws and the constitution, first to embarrass the PC, two to embarrass the federal government. For me, I do not feel worried, but I feel so sorry for the judiciary. The executives may have problems, the legislature may have problems, but the moment justice could be purchased, then we are in trouble in this country. And the ruling this afternoon is a clear evidence that this country is in trouble. And let me tell you that this same judge has over 10 cases against a Boeing state government with him. And you can imagine what is going to rule. We have petitioned him to NJC and we follow it up at all costs to ensure that this man is brought to justice. I want you to disregard the judgment. It is not a void. There is a substituting judgment in Zafara state. Well, Moba Chika, I'm going to ask you lots of questions on this, but I want to start by him saying that this judgment was purchased. He starts by saying that the judiciary, he's questioning the judiciary, as we speak. He's also said that this judgment was purchased. I'm guessing that he's saying that maybe the PDP had bought Justice Iyaniko and he's also said that there have been 10 cases against the Boeing state government by the same justice and that he, the government has petitioned Justice Iyaniko to the NJC. What are your thoughts? Thank you so much. He's claimed that the judge was purchased by PDP. We are not surprised because he has been talking like this. So if he claims that PDP paid for the judgment, I think he has to produce the receipt. He needs to produce the receipt that PDP used in buying the judgment because I don't see it as an achievable adventure. PDP in the Boeing state is known for portrightness. The former governor's claim that we bought the judgment couldn't have come if that judgment favored him. If it had favored him, he wouldn't have made that kind of statement. The constitution, I'm not a lawyer, but the constitution is straight. Every vote garnered by a candidate in an election is owned by the board school party and not that candidate since we don't, our confession doesn't make provision for individuals running elections on their own. Now look at what the governor is saying. He just manifested what he does in the Boeing to the national audience. How can a sitting governor say that she's not going to open a court ruling? That's what he has been doing in the Boeing and this is what he has been doing to the Boeing judiciary. Okay. Let me bring Charles back in. Charles, the governor says he's not worried. He feels sorry for the judiciary. He says he feels that the country is in trouble. Thank you very much. Those views are expressed by the governor. For me, the judiciary is not on trial. It is rather the conscience of the former governor, outside governor of a point that is in trouble, that is on trial. I wanted to surprise you to know that for the same judgment he's saying college is a safe way and saying it was procured. The state government mobilized women and youth groups to have a budget. Hoping the matter could have gone the other way. That is not the first time we know him and his antics very well. Those who pride their businesses in the Boeing know him. In 2015, the tribunal dismissed all the evidences before it and occurred his election. Same has he gotten. Interesting. Now, let me talk about his presidential ambition. Don't forget that recently the, well, governor had come out to say that he wants to run for the presidency come 2023. He's one of the very first people from the southeast who threw his hat into the ring. Has he gotten away with a lot of victories from the judiciary? Hello, I don't know if you're still there. We lost you for a second, but go ahead and end that thought so I can ask the question again. Okay. The judiciary has been favoring him. How is it at this point in time that the governor has suddenly realized that he is going to choose the judgment to obey? Let me let you know to the world that the so-called justice in Jocles, uh, uh, ruling in a high court, which is calling a court of codelette jurisdiction or call their courts of codelette jurisdiction. But the issue, the problem with that judgment is that the judge decided this matter within a space of less than three weeks. The PDP, who is a party to the matter was was not served. Roy, you mind who is his, uh, brother was the habitat was the one handling the whole matter. And they thought by procuring that judgment and coddling it before the judges in Abuja that justice people would be caught. Thank God for the the courage and the tenacity of justice people who stood in the face of all the intimidations, all the harassment, even them. I'm sure that their time must have been met by the governor knowing who for who he for who is to induce the judge. At the end of the day, they just took a pen decision to stand for the truth. Okay. Finally, finally, because we're almost out of time, Mr. Two, we're almost out of time. So I'll quickly ask this question so I can wrap up with Chika. Um, what now happens to the presidential ambition of Governor David Umahi? He has never been running for president in in peace to intent. What is the money for is to remain relevant at the national scale or space, way eventually in the list of it in 2023? Charles, we're losing you. So I'm going to go to more about Chika now. More about finally, the PDP has somewhat won this case. Is the PDP going to proceed to other states like Zamfara, like Cross River, um, to push those cases? Because I mean, like I said at the beginning, the PDP had continuously said they were in court on this matter. Should we be looking up for judgments in that regard? We have just won the matter at the first stage. So we are continuing with it. We got information that the governor has appealed already. So we are going to follow it up to the Supreme Court. So because it is our own mandate, our own mandate that was stolen. So we are ever ready. We are very ready to go and reclaim it. And that's what we are into already. So there's no going back. We are going to reclaim that mandate and the people and Nigerians in general will be happy, you know, that we that we are able to reclaim our mandate that was stolen. So we are we are looking for the for the actual court to start doing the needful because we are not going to draw. We are not going to withdraw. All right. Well, I want to say, I want to say thank you gentlemen. Thank you. Unfortunately, the connections are really bad. But thank you, Charles, to as a political analyst. And of course, more about Chika is the publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party in a boring stage. We appreciate you gentlemen for being part of the conversation. Thank you so much. Well, thank you all for staying with us. We'll take a short break. And when we return, two candidates emerged in Oslo State's PDP Parallel Primary Election. Well, we'll get to find out after this break.