The Action Peoples Party, APP, has dragged the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Court, seeking for the exclusion of the party from the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in 2023.
The defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as first defendant, APC, second defendant, High Chief Ikechi Enenike, third defendant and Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, fourth defendant.
It should be recalled that both Emenike and Ogah are laying claims to the governorship ticket of the APC. While Emenike says he emerged through Indirect primaries, Ogah says he emerged through Direct primaries.
The APP seeks the following reliefs from the Court:
1. A declaration of the Honorable Court that the 2nd defendant by the provisions of Section 84(1), (2), (5)(b) and 8 of the Electoral Act 2022 is only allowed to conduct and rely on one mode of primaries and nominate only one candidate for an election,
2. That the 2nd defendant cannot benefit from the outcome of two different primaries that produced two different candidates for the same election,
3. That the 2nd Defendant having failed to comply with the provisions of Sections 840(1), (2), (5)(b) and (8) of the Electoral Act 2022 cannot validly nominate any candidate for the governorship and State House of Assembly election in Abia State.
4. Order of the Honorable Court excluding and or directing the 1st Defendant to exclude the 2nd defendant from nominating any candidates including the 3rd and 4th Defendants as candidate for the 2023 Governorship Election in Abia State.
5. An order of the Honorable Court excluding and or directing the 1st Defendant to exclude the 2nd Defendant from nominating any candidates for the 24 state constituencies in Abia State, for the 2023 State House of Assembly election in Abia State.
