Edo 2024: Court to hear case of APC gov. candidate May 8

The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled a hearing for May 8, 2024, regarding the lawsuit contesting Monday Okpebholo’s candidature for governor of Edo State as the All Progressives Congress’ nominee.

One of the candidates who ran in the primary election, Anamero Dekeri, filed the lawsuit.

Dekeri is pleading with the court to nullify Okpebholo’s designation as the party’s nominee for governor.

Dekeri, a member of the House of Representatives who represents the Etsako Federal Constituency, was one of the candidates whose victory in the state’s primary election for governor was previously announced.

According to Ojo Babatunde, who spoke on behalf of all the returning officers in the local government, Dekeri received 25,384 votes, more than Dennis Idahosa, who received 14,127 votes for second place.

However, Idahosa was pronounced the victor of the exercise by Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, while Okpebholo was named the APC candidate by Stanley Ugboaja, the returning officer.

Subsequently, the party’s National Working Committee ruled that the election was inconclusive and mandated a new poll.

Bassey Otu, the governor of Cross River and chairman of the APC supplemental primary election, announced Okpebholo the victor on February 23.

Dekeri asked the court to prevent Okpebholo from being recognised as the APC candidate by the Independent National Electoral Commission in a suit bearing the filing number FHC/ABJ/CS/299/2024.

In addition, he pleaded with the court to declare the primary election that resulted in Okpebholo invalid, undemocratic, and unconstitutional. The first, second, and third defendants are, respectively, Okpebholo, INEC, and the APC.

The reliefs partly read, “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.”

In a notice sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday, the matter has been fixed for May 8, 2024, for hearing.