A federal high court sitting in Abuja, the federal capital territory has fixed May 8th, 2024, for hearing on the suit challenging the emergence of the governorship candidate of the All-progressives Congress (APC), in Edo state, Mr. Monday Okpebholo.
The suit was filed by one of the aspirants in the primary election process, Anamero Dekeri.
Dekeri is praying the court to overturn the declaration of Okpebholo as the party’s governorship candidate, citing some irregularities in the process.
Dekeri, a sitting member of the house of representatives, representing Etsako federal constituency, was one of the aspirants earlier declared winner in the state governorship primary election.
Recall that Mr. Ojo Babatunde, who represented all the local government returning officers, had stated that Dekeri polled 25,384 votes to beat Dennis Idahosa who they said to have polled 14,127 votes to come second place.
However, controversy began when the chairman of the primary election committee and governor of Imo state, Mr. Hope Uzodimma, declared Idahosa as the winner of the exercise while the returning officer for the election, Mr. Stanley Ugboaja, declared Okpebholo as the APC candidate.
The national working committee (NWC) of the party had to wade in and subsequently declared the election inconclusive and ordered a fresh election.
The new election was held on February 23rd, 2024, and the newly appointed chairman of the APC supplementary primary election and governor of Cross-River state, Mr. Bassey Otu, declared Okpebholo the winner of that exercise.
The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/299/2024, Dekeri urged the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Okpebholo as the APC candidate.
He also urged the court to declare the primary election that produced Okpebholo as unconstitutional, undemocratic, null, and void.
The APC, INEC, and Okpebholo are the first to third defendants, respectively.
Some of the prayers sought include, “A declaration that the first defendant does not possess the vires, power or authority to forward to the second defendant any other name (particularly, that of the third defendant) other than the name of the plaintiff who secured the highest number of votes in the primary election of 17 February 2024 and was set to secure the highest number of votes had the rescheduled re-run for 22 February 2024 held and conducted in line with Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended, as well as the Constitution and Guidelines of the first defendant.
“A declaration that the submission of the name of the third defendant to the second defendant by the first defendant, to contest election on the platform of the first defendant as its flag bearer to the office of the Governor of Edo State at the off-cycle governorship election slated for 21 September 2024, is unconstitutional, illegal, ultra vires, oppressive, undemocratic, arbitrary, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.
“An order setting aside the nomination and/or submission of the name of the third defendant to the second defendant by the first defendant as its standard flag bearer for the office of the Governor of Edo State at the off-cycle gubernatorial election slated for 21 September 2024.”
