A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo has declared Hon Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as the duly elected candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP for the rescheduled Cross River North senatorial bye-election holding on Saturday, 5th December 2020.
The court in the judgment by Justice Binta Mohammed held that contrary to the claim of the claimant, John Alaga, the defendant (Jarigbe) “did not supply any false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his INEC Form CF001 by purporting to have sat for / and or obtained educational qualification making him eligible to contest for the Cross River North Senatorial Bye-election.
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The Court also held that the PDP primary election where Hon. Jarigbe was elected as the candidate of the PDP was conducted with the authentic and legitimate delegates list of the Ward and Local Government Areas Executives of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Court went further to hold that Hon. Jarigbe having scored highest number of valid votes at the primary election is validly nominated as the candidate of the PDP at the election.
The Judge also declared that “the PDP primary where Hon. Jarigbe was elected was duly monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission and therefore valid in line with the law.
The Court, therefore, directed INEC, sued as the second Defendant, to include and publish the name of Hon. Jarigbe on the list of candidates for the by-election scheduled for 5th December 2020.
The INEC was also further ordered to give Hon. Jarigbe every other rights and privileges pertaining to his lawful qualification and nomination as the PDP candidate.
The primary election of the PDP has been the enmeshed in legal tussle since the 5th of September when it was conducted.
