The Federal High Court in Abuja denied on Thursday a petition by the Lamidi Apapa-led wing of the Labour Party (LP) to remove Athan Achonu as the party’s governorship candidate in Saturday’s Imo governorship election.
The organization petitioned the court in an ex-parte motion for a temporary injunction recognizing its candidate, Joseph Ukaegbu, as the party’s validly elected standard bearer in the Imo governorship contest.
Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the plaintiffs’ plea in a quick decision.
Instead, Mohammed was directed to notify the lone defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“I am going to allow you to adopt it (the motion) but I will not grant it.
“I am not granting you the application today as you have to bring them to court.
“Let it be that they have been served and they are not in court,” the judge said.
According to Justice Ekwo, I have studied the prayers on the motion ex-parte and also studied the averments in support.
“I am of the opinion that I need to hear from the defendant (INEC) before making further Order on the motion,” he said, adjourning the matter until Friday for INEC to show cause.
Plaintiffs include LP, Lamidi Apapa (Acting National Chairman), Al Lawal Saleh (Acting National Secretary), and Abayomi Arabambi (National Publicity Secretary).
The other claimants are C Anslem Eragbe (National Youth Leader), Barr. Akingbade Oyelekan (National Legal Adviser), and Chief Joseph Ikechukwu Ukaegbu (Imo State gubernatorial candidate).
In the application ex parte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1357/2023, the plaintiffs sued INEC as the sole defendant.
They petitioned for an interim injunction to prevent INEC from “recognizing any other person or persons laying claim to the LP gubernatorial ticket in the Imo governorship election slated for 11th November 2023 other than the plaintiff (Ukaegbu) who emerged from the primary conducted by the Lamidi Apapa-led National Working Committee (NWC) of LP on April 16.”
They also sought a mandatory injunction ordering INEC to recognize, upload, and publish Ukaegbu’s name as the LP governorship candidate in Imo while the motion on notice was heard and decided concurrently with this ex-parte action.
They also asked for a mandatory injunction ordering INEC to upload Apapa and Saleh’s names as acting national chairman and acting national secretary, respectively, as well as the names of other Apapa-led NWC members, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed concurrently with this ex-parte application.
