From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
A Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, has set aside the judgement of a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile, which nullified all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Three-man panel of the appeal in the judgement delivered by the lead judge, Justice Muhammed Lawal-Shuaibu, said George Orlu
and five others did not exhaust internal party mechanism before instituting the suit.
The court also held that the respondants did not participate in the congress of the APC and did not have any cause for the action.
The appeal panel described as inconceivable for the Federal High Court judge not to have joined the candidates of APC who are interested parties in the suit.
Lawal-Shuaibu said the issues of nomination of delegates and political parties were internal party affairs and that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place.
The court thereby set aside the judgement which APC appealed and awarded the sum of N500,000
as cost against the respondants in favour of APC.
Speaking to newsmen outside the courtroom, one of the counsels for APC, Emenike Ebete, explained to appeals that were delivered in favour of his clients, saying that the judgement has cleared APC and all the candidates to contest 2023 general elections.
On their parts, senatorial candidates for Rivers West, Asita Asita, and Rivers South-East, Oji Ngofa expressed happiness, saying the verdict has given credence to their political career ahead of 2023 general elections.
