Court nullifies APC delegates list for Kogi governorship primary election
A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the list of delegates submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State for its forthcoming governorship primary election as invalid.
The decision was made by Justice James Omotosho on Wednesday, citing the lack of evidence to support the claim that valid special ward congresses were held to elect the delegates whose names were submitted.
The judge also noted that the APC failed to present credible evidence that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the congresses from which the names on the delegates’ list were derived.
Consequently, Justice Omotosho restrained INEC from accepting and acting on the said delegates’ list.
The APC in Kogi State now has an opportunity, within the existing timeframe, to conduct valid special ward congresses to elect delegates who will choose the party’s candidate for the governorship election.
However, the judge also granted an alternative option, where the party could opt for any other method of electing its candidate for the governorship election should it decide not to conduct the valid special ward congresses as ordered by the court.
The ruling was a result of a suit filed by some aggrieved members of the party in the state, led by Realwan Okpanachi, who were dissatisfied with the process leading up to the primary election.
With the judgment, the primary election has been thrown into uncertainty, and APC must act swiftly to ensure a credible process leading to the election of its candidate for the governorship race.
