PDP chieftain asks court to disqualify Sen Oduah over perjury

By Olalekan Awojodu, Abuja

The Senator representing Anambra North in the Senate, Mrs Stella Adaeze Oduah has been dragged before a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged perjury to obtain nomination for the 2023 senatorial election.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are 2nd and 3rd defendants in the suit respectfully.

Chief John Okechukwu Emeka, a chieftain of the party and Senatorial aspirant instituted the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/841/2022 through his counsel, Mbanefo Ikwegbue.

The Federal High Court was in the suit, asked to issue order restraining Oduah from presenting herself forward as Senatorial candidate of PDP in the next year election.

Plaintiff also wants the court to stop PDP from submitting name of Senator Oduah as it’s candidate for the Anambra North senatorial election.

Similar order was sought against INEC to prohibit it from accepting Mrs Oduah from PDP and also from according her any right or privilege as candidate in the next year election.

Plaintiff predicated his suit on the ground that on October 23, 2014, Mrs Oduah allegedly committed perjury by making affidavit on oath that she lost original copy of her National Youth Service Corps NYSC discharge certificate when indeed, she possessed none.

He further claimed that the Senator committed another perjury in INEC form CF001 in 2015 and 2019 wherein she allegedly used false information to obtain nomination for the 2015 and 2019 senatorial elections.

The PDP Chieftain relied on a letter of May 24, 2022 by the Director General of the NYSC to the effect that Mrs Oduah did not complete a mandatory one year service with the Corps and was not issued with discharge certificate or letter of exemption.

Maintaining that the Senator breached sections 2 and 12 of the NYSC Act, the plaintiff prayed for an order nullifying the nomination of Oduah as PDP candidate for the 2023 senatorial election for Anambra North.

Plaintiff asked the court to compel PDP and INEC to submit his name as the candidate for the senatorial election having come second in the primary election that produced Oduah as a successful candidate.

Although the plaintiff sought to move ex-parte application for injunction to restrain publishing of name of f Mrs Oduah, Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo however ordered the plaintiff to put all parties in the suit on notice.

Justice Ekwo therefore fixed June 23 for definite hearing of the suit.