Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate Prof Uche Ikone (left), and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State
By NewsBits
Despite efforts by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State to reassure on the health of the PDP guber candidate Prof Uche Ikone, the party may hold another primary to get a new candidate. Though the Electoral Act appears silent on the incapacitation of a candidate, a legal practitioner suggested that substitution of candidate is still possible.
He sited section 33 of the Electoral Act, which stated inter alia that “a political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute it’s candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 except in the case of death or withdrawal…in this case a political party shall within 14 days hold a fresh primary to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the commission…”
PDP G-5 Governors dressed in Prof. Ikonne’s campaign apparel
Reliable sources confided in this medium that Ikone’s situation is feared to be serious that he may not be able to stand for the election. Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has however dismissed the claims of incapacitation of the PDP candidate expressing hopes that he would soon bounce back for the campaigns.
Ikpeazu, while speaking as a guest on Flo FM Radio audience participatory programme (The People’s Parliament) in Umuahia on Monday, disclosed that Ikone took ill after the PDP flag-off campaign in Umuahia, which was held on November 24, 2022. According to the governor, Ikone “is a little bit indisposed at the moment, but he’s recovering gradually and progressively.”
He revealed that the PDP governorship candidate had left the hospital, but now going through a period of convalescence, assuring PDP faithfuls that Ikonne will soon bounce back to join the campaign train.
According to Ikpeazu “You remember by the time we had the biggest rally that happened here in Umuahia when the G-5 governors came to flag off our campaign, Prof. Ikonne was there, he was in the gala night and very fit. The gala that was held in honour of the G-5 in my house till 2:00a.m.
So, when he came for that rally he was just able to manage to give a speech and then he took ill, no other governorship candidate has mounted the podium before such a mammoth crowd in Abia up till now and it is unfortunate that he’s a little bit indisposed but I want to report some progress and the progress is that Prof. Ikone is recovering gradually and progressively, he has left the hospital and he is going through convalescence.
“I am sure that he will be strong in the future to join the campaign. But be that as it may PDP is a very very strong powerful party, there’s no other party that has that kind of strength, and as i speak we are going back to our wards to campaign again.”
Except Ikone bounces back as Ikpeazu expects, the party may have to go into a fresh primary and our source reveals that the Governor is desperately searching for a replacement. Our source revealed that there is anxiety as time appear to be running out on both the candidate, Ikpeazu and the party.
