Court reinstates all APC candidates in Rivers

An Appeal court in Port Harcourt has reinstated all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, after a Federal High Court (FHC) judgement nullifying their primaries.

Recalled that Blueprint reported On October 25 2022, that Justice Emmanuel Adema Obile of the FHC in Port Harcourt nullified all primary elections conducted by the Party in Rivers state over an alledged unlawful exclusion of some party members as delegates in the primaries.

The plaintiffs: George Orlu, Henry Wali & 3 Ors approached the FHC asking the Court to nullify the delegate congresses viz-a-viz all the primaries of the APC therein with regards to State Houses of Assembly elections, House of Representatives, Senate and Governorship election for the 2023 general elections slated for the 25th of February and the 11th day of March, 2023.

The brief facts of the case are that the Plaintiffs (George Orlu & 4 Ors), who claimed to be members of the APC in Rivers State, challenged the delegate elections of the 1st Defendant (APC) on the ground that despite paying for the nomination forms, they were not issued any forms for the elections and therefore prayed the court to set aside the DELEGATE elections of the APC conducted on the 18th and 19th of May, 2022.

Dissatisfied with the rulings of the trial Court, the aggrieved Parties in Suit Nos: CA/PH/505/2022 (Nwankwo Ndubuisi Ozojie & 47 Ors v. George Orlu & 7 Ors) and CA/PH/521/2022 (INEC v. George Orlu & 6 Ors) approached the penultimate Court.

In a unanimous decision, the three-man panel of the Appeal Court led by Justice Muhammed Lawal Shuaibu JCA, upheld the submissions of the appellants and restored all APC Candidates back on the ballot.

All issues resolved in favour of Appellant, appeal allowed, Judgment of the lower Court set aside and a cost of N500, 000.00 in favour of the Appellants against the 1st-6th Respondents.