APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole
A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba on Wednesday restrained the
Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee of the All Progressives
Congress from forwarding any candidate list in the just concluded APC
primaries in Delta State to the Independent National Electoral
Commission for the 2019 general elections, Punch has reported.
Giving the ruling, the Presiding judge, Justice Toyin Adegoke gave
the order in a suit No. FHC/ASB/C8/76/2018 following a fresh suit filed
by the state APC factional chairman, Chief Cyril Ogodo, Chief Moses
Adjarho and Kayode Jimoh.
The defendants in the suit are the All Progressives Congress, Adams
Oshiomhole, Independent National Electoral Commission and Prophet Jones
Erue; who are 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 4th defendants respectively.
Adegoke also ordered applicants and plaintiffs in the suit to
maintain status quo and desist from submitting any list candidates from
the two factions in the state to INEC till the substantive suit filled
is heard.
The state chapter of the APC had been embroiled in crisis since the
last congress of the party where two factional chairmen emerged. While
the immediate past national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,
sworn in Ogodo as chairman, Oshiomhole upon assumption of office
inaugurated Erue as chairman.
The factions also conducted parallel primaries where candidates
equally emerged from the just concluded primary elections of the APC in
the state.
The judge, while granting the prayers of the applicants, said the
case would be given accelerated hearing since it was a pre-election
matter.
Adegoke ruled that “This matter shall be given an accelerated
hearing owing to the fact that it is a pre-election matter. All
defendants are to take note of the tendencies of this suit.
“Parties shall maintain status quo as at today, the 17th day of November 2018. That is the order of this court.”
Addressing newsmen at the court premises, Counsel to the Applicants, Mr. O.J. Oghenejakpor said “The
implication is that, as at today, no list of candidates has been
submitted to INEC and none will be submitted until the court hear this
case. Technically, the court has granted an injunction restraining any
person to nominate any candidate from Delta State for the 2019
elections.”