2019 Elections : Court stops APC from fielding candidates in Delta State

A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, has restrained the National Working Committee (NWC), of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from submitting the list of party candidates for the 2019 general elections from Delta State to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Toyin Adegoke, in a ruling, ordered the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole who was joined in the suit as the 2nd respondent with APC as 1st respondent, Independent National Electoral Commission and Prophet Jones Erue as the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively and the plaintiff to maintain the status quo.

He ordered them to halt the submission of APC list of candidates from Delta State from the two factions to INEC until the substantive suit filled is heard.

It was gathered by www.totorinews.com  that the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led State Working Committee (SWC) in Delta State and others had instituted an interlocutory injunction restraining APC and Oshiomhole from submitting the list of candidates from the Prophet Jones Erue-faction to INEC.

Pre-election matters require accelerated hearings, Justice Adegoke averred that “this matter shall be given an accelerated hearing owing to the fact that it is a pre-election matter. All defendants are to take note of the tendencies of this suit.

“Parties shall maintain status quo as at today, the 17th day of October 2018. That is the order of this court,” Adegoke ruled.

Counsel to the Applicants, Barr O. J. Oghenejakpor said that “the implication is that, as at today, no list of candidates has been submitted to INEC and none will be submitted until we hear this case.

“Technically, the court has granted an injunction restraining any person to nominate any candidate from Delta State for the 2019 election.

“The issue will have to await the substantive trial which is now fixed for 1st and 2nd November 2018. Court has also granted us an accelerated hearing so that the facts can be put to rest once and for all.

“It’s a healing process and I think if the National Executives could take the opportunity of this process, this is what will bring the party together in Delta State.”

Meanwhile, Counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents, Barr George Onaho, who challenged the jurisdiction of the court, affirmed that  the court is in order .

“In the view of the court, our objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court has to wait and be adopted together with our final written address after the substantive suit must have been heard.

“So that necessitated the adjournment that was taken. The court ordered an accelerated hearing and gave two days to call in witnesses and deal with the case,” he said.