Delta APC Assembly Candidates Denied INEC’s Certificate of Return

…As PDP Duo of Osanebi and Ochor Ochor Fail to get Certificates.

Victorious House of Assembly candidates on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the March 9, 2019 polls, have been denied certificate of return by the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Some of the APC candidates who were present alongside their colleagues from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the certificate issuing ceremony on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at the INEC State Headquarters in Asaba, left the venue of event in disappointments.

The affected APC candidates are, Anidi Innocent Emosivwe Ethiope East (APC); Oniyere Charles Whanoroho , Ughelli North1 (APC); Egbo Jaro Movudu Ughelli North 2 (APC).

Visibly angry was, Egbo Jaro of Ughelli North 2 who stormed out of the INEC’s premises before the end of the ceremony.

INEC’s National Commissioner who presented certificates to the Delta State governor-elect and successful PDP candidates for the State House of Assembly, Dr Mohammed Lecky, confirmed that, APC elected candidates were denied certificates following court actions.

You would recall that, the Federal High Court 1, Asaba, in its March 18, 2019, judgement delivered by Justice Toyin Adegoke sacked the Prophet Jones Erue-led factional State Executive Committee, upholding the Chief Cyril Ogodo faction as the authentic party’s State Executive Committee.

The court went further in its judgement to annul all actions taken by the sacked Jones Erue-led Exco, including party primaries and the list of candidates which emerged from their factional primaries declaring it null and void.

This development is not unconnected to the reason why the APC trio of Anidi Innocent Emosivwe, Oniyere Charles Whanoroho and Egbo Jaro Movudu were denied certificates of return by INEC.

Meanwhile, the PDP duo of Rt. Hon Friday Osanebi of Ndokwa East and Christopher Ochor Ochor of Ukwuani were also victims of non-issuance of certificates.

A close source to Ochor Christopher disclosed that the certificate of return for Ukwuani state constituency, is not bearing the accurate name of the elected PDP candidate. An issue which has necessitated a trip to Abuja for possible corrections.

However, the situation surrounding the non-issuance of the certificate of return for the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Friday Osanebi is yet to be established, as reports has it that, he is on holidays in a foreign country.