A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State over alleged unlawful nomination for the governorship election.
Barrister Kalu Kalu Agu, who filed the application on Friday with less than 24 hours to the election, is contending that nomination of Akeredolu for the election is not valid since there was no party national chairman and secretary of the party.
Barrister Agu, is in a sister pre-election suit challenging the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party presided by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 25.
He therefore asked the court to exclude all APC candidates from further elections pending the determination of the suit challenging the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led executive.
In the suit filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Ukpai Ukairo Esq., Agu averred in his 53-paragraph affidavit that, “there is no lawful provision for a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of a political party at all including the 2nd defendant (APC).”
In the same vein, the lawyer has also prayed the court to disqualify APC candidates: Abiru Tokunbo and Mr Frank Ibezim from contesting the election in Lagos East and Imo North Senatorial Districts respectively, on the grounds that they were unlawfully nominated under the Caretaker Committee.
He specifically accused INEC of “accepting, notifications and letters from the 3rd (Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and chairman of the Caretaker Committee) to 14th respondents and in that process qualifying persons as candidates in election being conducted by it when the names of such candidates were not submitted by the National Chairman or/ and Secretary of the APC”.
The plaintiff, who is a Youth Leader of the APC in Abia, argued that as at the time the caretaker committee was inaugurated by the NEC, the NWC had barely spent two years from their four years in office.
He added that since the constitution of the committee INEC has been interfacing with them as national officers of the APC adding that the electoral umpire received names submitted by the committee for the governorship poll in Ondo and the forthcoming senatorial election in Lagos and Imo.
Others joined in the suit are members of the Caretaker Committee: Isiaka Oyebola, Ken Nnamani, Stella Okorete, Governor Sani Bello, Dr James Lalu, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, Hon. Akinyemi Olaide, David Leon, Professor Tahir Mamman, Ismail Ahmed and Senator Akpan Udoedehe as 1st to 14th respondents respectively.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
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