Edo APC gets Appeal Court’s nod for direct governorship primary

Bisi Olaniyi, Benin and Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

 

THE coast is clear for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to go ahead with its governorship primary on Monday.

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Benin on Thursday set aside the June 8 judgment of the Federal High Court which restrained the party from  conducting  the exercise, using direct primary system.

The appellate court however ordered that the federal high court in Benin to continue hearing the suitv from  today.by first determining the jurisdiction.

The APC and its suspended National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had appealed the FHC verdict on grounds of jurisdiction  and other issues.

Presiding Justice Morenike Ogunwomiju, in her lead judgment, described as problematic, the order by Justice Mohammed Umar of the FHC, Ogunwomiju said: “The trial judge (Justice Umar) gave a problematic order that was not sought by the parties to the suit.

“As at the date (June 8), the order was given, the political party (APC in Edo State) had 14 days to organise its governorship primary. Every judge must be a democrat.

“The appellant (APC) was not given an opportunity to be heard by the trial court. The injunctive order of the trial court of June 8 is hereby set aside. The administrative orders subsist and the issue of jurisdiction should be determined by the trial court.”

She was supported by Justice Justice Sam  Oseji.

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In his dissenting judgment, Justice Moore Adumein declared that the injunctive order of the FHC ought not to have been set aside, insisting that the appeal was interlocutory, incompetent and should be struck out.

In a  second suit filed by Oshiomhole,  Justice  Oseji, who declared that the appeal lacked merit, struck  it out.

The members of National Working Committee (NWC) of APC had on May 21, declared that the governorship primary in Edo State would be by direct mode. But  the allies of Governor Godwin Obaseki pushed for indirect mode.

But, baring last minute hitches, Obaseki and his deputy, Phillip Shaibu,  will defect today to opposition  PDP.

Obaseki  and Shaibu resigned their membership of the  APC  on Tuesday, following the governor’s disqualification from participating in the June 22 primary   in the state..

PDP’s governorship primary initially scheduled for today was on Thursday  shifted to June 23 in what is believed to be a strategic move to make Obaseki’s absorption into the party seamless.

Pressure  has since been mounted  on the three PDP cleared governorship aspirants- Kenneth Imasuagbon, Gideon Ikhine and Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, to step down for the  governor. But the three aspirants  are  insisting on testing their popularity among party members.

It could not be ascertained  as of  press time yesterday if Shaibu would be allowed to be  the  running mate of Obaseki, if he eventually becomes the PDP standard bearer.

PDP members and leaders who  gathered yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Benin, the Edo State capital,  to welcome Obaseki and his allies into their fold  had waited for  hours before they were  informed that the  ceremony had been shifted till  today.

The National Vice Chairman, Southsouth, of the PDP, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, confirmed the developments, and   assured that everything would be hitch-free.

In Abuja, the PDP  National Working Committee (NWC)  which announced the postponement of the party’s   governorship primary , predicated it on exigencies.

A statement on Thursday  by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, explained that the decision was  arrived at during a series of meetings between some leaders of  the party  and  Obaseki.

The NWC  enjoined all the party’s governorship aspirants, critical stakeholders, party faithful, and supporters in Edo state, to adjust to the June 23 date.