A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has disqualified 16 House of Assembly candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from contesting the 2023 election.
Delivering judgement, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Adamu, ruled that the primary elections that produced the candidates did not comply with the new electoral Act.
Justice Adamu ruled on a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) alleging that the APC primary elections were not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt gave the ruling yesterday afternoon ordering the disqualification candidates for the Rivers State House of Assembly in 16 State Constituencies for the March 11, 2022 general elections.
The case was brought before the Court by the Peoples Democratic Party in PDP v. INEC & 33 Ors (FHC/PH/CS/152/2022), Justice Adamu ruled in favour of the Plaintiffs for non-monitoring of the APC legislative primary by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Andoni, Etche Constituency 1 & 2, Tai, Gokana, Oyigbo, Eleme, Port Harcourt Constituency 1, 2 & 3, Khana Constituency 1 & 2, Okrika, Ahoada West and Obio/Akpor Constituency 1 & 2.
With this verdict, only the candidates for Ahoada East 1 & 2, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni 1 & 2, Emohua, Degema, Akuku Toru 1 & 2, Asari Toru 1 & 2, Bonny, Ikwerre, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro, Abua/Odual and Ogu/Bolo were spared in the judgment.
This judgement is coming a few weeks after another Federal High Court held that the APC in the State had no valid candidates for the forthcoming poll.
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