A Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo state capital has retrained the All Progressives Congress, APC, from conducting a primaries election to choose it’s candidate for the upcoming Guber election in the state.
Some members of the party had in the exparte motion sought the order of the court to prevent the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC and the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, from using direct primaries to elect the Edo State governorship candidate of the party.
Deputy Chairman of the party, Pastor Kenneth Asemokhai and a governorship aspirant of the party, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, have approached the court, to seek a restraining order against the APC from adopting the direct mode of primaries.
They cited COVID-19 and 2018 APC NEC resolution as the ground for their action.
According to the plaintiffs, who were represented by John Odubela (SAN), APC Constitution provides that the states should suggest mode of primaries to the NWC, that they have suggested indirect primaries in which 4,000 delegates would participate with 500 delegates representing each ward.
Granting the order on Monday, the court granted the motion restraining the All Progressives Congress and its national chairman from conducting any primary election pending the determination of the suit on June 11, 2020.
The national leadership of the party under Adams Oshiomhole has opted for a direct primaries and has also notified the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Edo State governorship election comes up in September, 2020.
Details later…
