Court orders APC NWC, others to maintain status quo
• Intrigues as PDP plots to kill Imasuagbon’s guber bid • We’re technically in control of Edo politics, says Fintiri
AFEDERAL High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar has ordered a stay of execution on the June 8 judgement pending the decision of the Court of Appeal.
The court had on Monday, June 8, restrained the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Adams Oshiomhole, and the party from conducting any primary election in the state pending the determination of the suit filed by some members of the party.
Factional deputy chairman of the party in the state, Kenneth Asekomhe, and one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, are challenging the decision of the party’s National Working Committee ( NWC) to adopt direct primary election for the nomination of its governorship candidate.
The defendants in the suit are APC, Oshiomhole, Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) and the Inspector General of Police ( IGP).
The applicants had earlier filed an ex parte motion praying the court to restrain the party from adopting the direct mode of primary. They also prayed the court to restrain INEC from monitoring the primaries, and the police from giving effect to the NWC’S direct primaries order.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the second defendant, Roland Otaru, said the court lacked the jurisdiction to give the stay of execution order; hence they filed a stay of proceedings at the appellate court.
But Counsel to the plaintiffs, Ken Mozia, said he was not aware of the notice of appeal.
However, Justice Umar transmitted all court proceedings at the high court to the Court of Appeal and adjourned till June 17. DESPITE its manageable number of three governorship aspirants, indications have emerged that the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Edo State is planning to throw up a ‘ weak’ candidate to make things easy for Governor Godwin Obaseki during the September 19, 2020 gubernatorial poll.
Kenneth Imasuagbon is the aspirant considered strong enough to give the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) a run for its money in the general ballot.
This is just as Adamawa State Governor Adamu Fintri, who chairs Edo PDP Congress Committee, has declared that the state stands out as the party’s home.
Available indices show that the party is technically in control of the levers of politics in Edo, he remarked.
Fintiri explained to journalists in Benin City that his committee was in the state to oversee the ward congresses of the party, adding that the delegation of three men each from the 192 wards of the state “marks the beginning” of the process to nominate the party’s gubernatorial flagbearer.