By Okhide Em’ya David
All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last year’s Edo Governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has said he will appeal a High Court ruling nullifying his candidacy alongside his running mate, Hon. Audu Ganiyu Abudu, in the tightly-contested September 19 2020 governorship election.
The Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City had on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 disqualified the candidates of the APC over alleged infractions contained in the documents submitted to INEC by the Deputy Governorship candidate, Hon. Audu.
The Court had held that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy-Governorship Candidate Audu Ganiyu Abudu, as an Aspirant presented false information to INEC in his Form EC9 to enable him contest the September 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo State.
The case was brought against him by the Plaintiff, Hon. Sunday Kadiri, from Ogbona ward, in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The plaintiff had asked the court to disqualify the candidate for Deputy Governor from participating in the election on account of having allegedly given false information to the electoral commission to aid his qualification for the election.
He prayed the court to annul the candidacy of Ize-iyamu as the APC candidate for Governor on account of running with an unqualified candidate for Deputy Governor.
The presiding Judge Honorable Justice Courage Ogbebor, consequently nullified the candidacy of governorship candidate of the APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Audu Ganiyu Abudu, in the Election.
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had three weeks ago,dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify the Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19, 2020, election in Edo state, Mallam Audu Ganiyu Abudu.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/758/2020, was filed by the Action Democratic Party (ADP).
It alleged that Audu presented forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The plaintiff also alleged that the documents contain misleading discrepancies especially in name arrangement.
However, in a ruling the court dismissed the suit with cost.
