43 candidates for the All Progressives Congress have been sued by the Peoples Democratic Party of Delta State for allegedly violating the 2022 Electoral Act.
In suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1406/2022, the plaintiff requests that the court examines and interpret the combined provisions of Section 82(1), (2), (5), and (8) as well as other applicable laws in order to examine the actions and inactions of APC with regard to notices for the congress and primary elections that were served on INEC.
He said, “The legal infractions committed by the APC have now been subjected to legal interpretations and foreseeable consequential orders via a lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, by PDP.
“The Plaintiff is praying the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognise all the candidates of the APC in Delta State, for the purpose of 2023 general elections, and to invalidate their candidacy.
“PDP is also praying the court to declare as null and void and of no effect whatsoever, the candidacy of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Governorship candidate, Chief Ede Dafinone for Senator, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi for Senate, Hon Waive Ejiroghene Francis for House of Representatives and all other candidates of the party standing for elections in 2023.
“The dates such notices were received, and whether or not APC complied with the periods specifically stated in the aforementioned sections of the Electoral Act 2022; and if not, to declare the congress, primaries and candidacy of all APC candidates in Delta State, null and void and of no effect whatsoever, and to expunge APC logo from 2023 ballot papers in the State.”
Reacting to the suit, the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, E.V Onojeghuo, described the suit as dead on arrival.
“This suit by the Delta State PDP is dead on arrival because it is an exercise in futility for a drowning political party that is clutching at straws.
“In the first place, the APC fully complied with the provisions of the extant Electoral Act regarding the issuance of the relevant notices regarding the conduct of our party primary. So we have nothing to fear as far as we are concerned,” he said.