The federal high court in Umuahia, Abia State, dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s suit challenging the eligibility of the Labour Party’s (LP) House of Assembly candidate for Bende South state constituency seat election, Chijioke Nwankwo.
The PDP filed suit no: FHC/UM/CS/188/2022, with the Independent National Electoral Commission as the first defendant, the Labour Party as the second defendant, and Nwankwo Chijioke Solomon, Esq. as the third defendant (3rd defendant).
Recall that in August 2022, the Abia leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party dragged the Labour Party House of Assembly candidate for Bende south constituency seat, Chijioke Nwankwo, before a federal high court in Umuahia, and sought its declaration that the affidavit in support of the third defendant’s personal particulars is null and void as an electoral document to grant the candidate’s listing in the 2023 general elections.
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The suit claimed that the third defendant failed to attach evidence of educational qualifications as required by the first defendant to determine a candidate’s qualification under Section 106(c) of the 1999 constitution.
The party also requested that the court issue a perpetual injunction prohibiting INEC from including Chijioke Solomon Nwankwo on the final list of candidates for the March 2023 election.
Earlier, on Thursday, Presiding Judge Evelyn Anyadike dismissed the suit brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party in Abia as frivolous, lacking in merit and locus standi, and failing to disclose any reasonable cause of action against Nigeria’s electoral commission and the LP state assembly candidate, Chijioke Nwankwo.
Meanwhile, Chijioke Nwankwo praised the Nigerian judiciary for demonstrating that it is a court of law and justice that cannot be misled.
He spoke out in a statement issued by the CJ Campaign Organisation’s Director-General, Okezie Obioma Okezie (Esq), on Friday in Umuahia, the state capital.
He also maintained that bitterness and desperation should be discouraged in politics, and he reminded his opponents that only the eligible people of Abia State, and the entire Nigeria, have the power to choose who leads them.
When elected to the Abia house of assembly, Nwankwo used the medium to extend a hand of friendship to his opponents in order to take the Bende South state constituency to new heights.
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Let me remind our friends and brothers from other parties that we are brothers first and foremost.
“Assaults on people, destruction of billboards, posters, and unnecessary propaganda will not get you votes.
“The people will decide this time, and the game is up for non-performing members as the people’s votes will surely count”.
