JUST IN: Edeoga, Alex Otti, Others Head To Abuja For Labour Party Emergency Meeting As Court Disqualifies All Candidates Of Party
Joel Abasi
The judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano State has thrown the Labour Party supporters and their candidates in a very pathetic situation as the court orders the immediate withdrawal of the Certificates of Returns issued to the elected members of the party across Nigeria.
One Mr.Ibrahim Haruna had approached the court seeking to sack all the candidates of the party across the federation for not complying with the provisions of section 77(3) of the new electoral act,2022.
The trial judge, Justice M.N.Yunusa while delivering his judgement maintained that the activities of the Labour Party do not comply with the provisions of the New Electoral Act,2022 wherein the party failed to submit its register to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC within the time frame as stipulated in the New Electoral Act.
”Every registered Political Party is bound to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act in the conduct of its activities and any activity of the political party not in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act are void ab initio,” part of the judgement reads.
In his ruling, the Justice ordered INEC to immediately withdraw all the Certificates of Return issued to the elected candidates of the Labour Party both at the national and state level, maintaining that the matter before the court was filed within the specified time as enshrined by law.
On hearing the news of the court judgement, Abia State governor-elect Alex Otti was reported to have hurriedly left his cousin’s wedding ceremony in Aba, and had gone to embark on a sudden meeting called by the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
In another story as gathered in Enugu State, the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu was said to have been nearly disrupted by the wailings of elected candidates of the Labour Party in the state who have come to witness the case but normalcy returned to the court premises when the security personnel ordered the wailers out of the court.
Meanwhile, our correspondent, Cyprain Okeke gathered that the Labour Party guber candidate in the past governorship election, Chijioke Edeoga was seen disappearing out of the court in a juncous movement immediately the news was broken, and had headed immediately to Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu to participate in the emergency meeting of the party holding by 3.00PM in Abuja.
