Appeal Court clears Rivers APC assembly candidates

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out the judgment of a Federal High Court which nullified the candidacy of 16 All Progressives Congress House of Assembly candidates in Rivers State.

Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe, in his judgment, ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party had no locus standi to challenge the primary election of the APC in the first place.

The judge also declared that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit and its decision which disqualified candidates of the APC was a nullity.

Recall that Justice Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt had on November 11, 2022, nullified the candidacy of 16 APC state Assembly candidates for the 2023 elections in the suit filed by the PDP seeking their disqualification.

The lower court had based its judgement on the grounds that their primaries were conducted without the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission among others.

Our correspondent reports that Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe also struck out the suit by the PDP seeking the court to nullify the remaining 16 APC state Assembly candidates whose candidacy were validated by the federalist high court on 11th of November 2022.

Speaking to newsmen, one of the counsels for the APC, Achinike William-Wobodo, said the judgement meant that all state Assembly candidates of the party were free to contest in the 2023 general elections.

William-Wobo added, “The judgement has just reconfirmed our argument all the way from the lower court where we have argued and maintained that Section 285 (14) sub-C does not grant locus to any political party to challenge the internal affairs of another political party.”

On his part, one of the counsels for the PDP, Dike Udenna, said the party would study the judgement before deciding on any further action.

-punch news