Two members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to make an order setting aside the delegates’ list submitted by the party to INEC for nomination of its governorship candidate for the Nov. 11 election.
Mr Realwan Okpanachi and Yahaya Nuhu, made the call in a suit filed before Justice James Omotosho.
In the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/329/2023 dated and filed March 8 by their counsel, Chief Ogwu Onoja, SAN, the applicants also prayed for an order of mandatory injunction, directing the APC to hold and conduct special ward congresses scheduled for April 14 to elect ward delegates for the purpose of nominating its candidate for the governorship election.
The plaintiffs asked the court to declare that it is mandatory for the party to hold the ward congresses for the purpose of electing delegates that would nominate its candidate for the governorship election in Kogi.
They also sought a declaration that in the absence of the special ward congresses, the purported list of delegates submitted by APC to INEC dated Feb. 7, or any other date, was invalid, null and void and liable to be set aside.
They said this was in line with the provisions of Section 5(b) (i) of the Electoral Act, 2022, Article 13.13(iii) of APC Constitution, 2022 (as amended) and the guidelines formulated by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party for the conduct of e’ection of delegates for the nomination of candidate for Kogi governorship poll.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had, on Oct. 25, 2022, fixed the Kogi off-cycle governorship poll, alongside Bayelsa and Imo, for Nov. 11.
Upon resumed hearing in the matter on Thursday, Moses Ebute, SAN, who appeared for the plaintiffs, informed the court that he was in receipt of a motion on notice seeking for an order joining Mustapha Idoko, Akwu Umar and two others, who were also registered members of APC, as plaintiffs in the suit.
After the motion was moved by their counsel, Justice Omotosho granted the prayers.
The judge, who ordered the parties in the suit to amend their processes, adjourned the matter until March 30 for hearing.(NAN)
