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APRIL 9, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 26

Two Candidates, One Seat

**Senator Ifeanyi Araraume**

Penultimate week’s ruling of the Appeal court, declaring Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the legitimate People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate for Imo State leaves the party with two contenders to the throne
By Eugenia Okpara, Owerri
The emergence of two governorship candidates in the ruling People’s Democratic (PDP) for the Imo governorship seat is a clear indication that the party is heading for the precipice following the confusion over who is actually its governorship candidate for the April 14, 2007 polls.
This confusion which has trailed the party’s gubernatorial primaries in Imo State has since the Appeal court ruling of March 20, 2007, deepened, with the return of Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume to claim his mandate as the authentic governorship candidate of the party for the election.
Already, there is palpable tension in the State following the return of Senator Araraume from an overseas trip to flag- off his campaign. Chief Charles Ugwuh the choice of the party's top echelon on his own is continuing with his campaign, as if nothing untowards has happened thus engendering fears the two candidates may clash in the course of their campaign.
In the wake of the appellate court’s ruling in favour of the Senator’s candidacy, the Bureau of Political Affairs, Office of the Executive Governor had released a press statement captioned, “No cause for alarm,” dated March 21, 2007 and signed by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Affairs, Chief Elvis Agukwe, urging Imo indigenes to go about their legitimate business. The statement simply waved aside the judgement as a party affair.
Part of the statement read: “Attention of government has been drawn to the ruling and conflicting interpretation of the Appeal Court ruling concerning the PDP Imo governorship candidate. Government hereby appeals to Imo citizens to go about their legitimate businesses and continue to be law- abiding because there is no cause for alarm. The ruling of the Appeal Court is a party affair, which is receiving attention at the highest level of the PDP in Abuja”.
Chief Agukwe said furher: “the situation is still as it is, as party leadership and followers (sic) are fully committed to the campaign project of Charles Ugwuh, the PDP candidate for the State” adding “PDP supporters and their well- wishers are hereby advised to continue to support the party and government”.
The assertion that Ugwuh remains the PDP candidate was countered by Araraume who said that Ugwuh was never in the picture of the PDP governorship candidacy but rather was thrown up by the judgement of a lower court.
Araraume: “Chief Charles Ugwuh was never in the picture in the first place as he scored only 36 votes and was the last in the line-up. If there had been a run-off, he would not have been included as it would have been between Chief Hope Uzodinma and me. The leadership of the party in their wisdom submitted my name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and never submitted his own. His candidacy of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party is a product of the judgement of the High Court”.
Araraume also said that it is only a ruling of the Supreme Court on the matter that will nullify the unanimous decision of the appellate court that upheld his candidature which he got from Imo PDP delegates at the December 13, 2006 primaries but curiously set aside by the judgement of the lower court.
According to the senator, there was no substitution of names by PDP in INEc as there was a court order stopping INEC from substituting his name for any other name as PDP governorship candidate, stressing “ it amounts to setting a dangerous precedence to promote failure by parading somebody who came last in the primaries as the candidate with the number of votes that is not equivalent to that of a ward in the State, while consigning to the dust bin the person that came first”.
Ararume while flagging- off his campaign, told his teeming supporters that there is no confusion in the candidacy of the party as it is only those who failed the primaries and want to get into Douglas House through the back door that are creating unnecessary problems.
He also told the unprecedented crowd of PDP faithful that came to welcome him that he has never an convicted by any court of law or administrative panel and therefore there is no reason why he should abandon his mandate.
But the reported insistence of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu that Chief Charles Chukwuemeka Ugwuh remains the authentic gubernatorial candidate for the April polls has heightened the confusion trailing the parading of double candidates for one seat.
As the two candidates continue with their campaigns, many analysts posit that only a ruling of the Supreme Court on the matter will be able to avoid possible clash.