Since the publication of list of gubernatorial candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC last Friday, PDP detractors have once again gone to town telling anyone who cares to listen that they were right after all in maintaining that Chijioke Edeoga, the most sought after gubernatorial hopeful, is not the candidate of the Labour party in the state. These meddlesome interlopers who have not hidden their apprehension since Edeoga’s name was mentioned in Labour, should not gloat or relish in their fantasies as nothing has changed significantly.
Edeoga
What the busybodies unfortunately have failed to do is to distinguish between having the ticket of a political party and having such ticket recognized by INEC until the fulfilment of certain conditions. Has the Labour party settled for Chijioke Edeoga the most treasured gubernatorial candidate for Enugu 2023? The answer is yes. The party has in no uncertain terms and at various fora made it clear that it has no other candidate other than Chijioke Edeoga. Does the party’s position automatically translate to the position of INEC if certain conditions are unfulfilled? No! Not at all. If the Electoral Act provides that in the event of withdrawal by a candidate, a fresh election shall be conducted to produce a substantive flag bearer, the fact that a political party has chosen a particular candidate to replace the person who withdrew does not automatically mean that INEC will publish his name if no fresh election had been conducted as required by law.
That is exactly the case with the Labour party in Enugu state. The party will in no time conduct a fresh election to formally elect a candidate to fill the vacuum after which the winner will have his name published by INEC having followed due process. Publishing the name of a candidate who did not fulfill the stipulated condition after a withdrawal is an invitation to lawsuit and provides a fertile ground for mischief makers and in the case of Enugu state, sponsored PDP litigants to rush to court to contest that the ticket as given is invalid.
As it stands therefore, Chijioke Edeoga has scaled the first huddle of acceptance by his party awaiting the second step which is recognition by INEC after necessary legal steps had been followed. Are the PDP meddlers expecting a candidate already chosen by his party to fail in the formality election to be organized by the same party because it wants its dummy and political neophyte to be chosen in his place to pave the way for its meretricious candidate to win in the general election? Unfortunately yes but that is mere wishful thinking. Every political party wants to win election and will not present a dummy to achieve that purpose especially one offered by the opposition to hypnotize it and lead it to defeat. Not when it has a golden candidate like Chijioke Edeoga Enugu people will fall over themselves to vote into office in 2023.
While the beautiful bride soldiers on to do the needful, Enugu people can’t wait to see his name on the ballot to lead a Tsunami that will totally liberate Enugu state from the stranglehold of bad governance and possible relapse to the dark days of Ebeano.
