The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division has dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the Edo state governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.
The appellate Court held that the suit instituted by an aggrieved governorship aspirant, Barrister Kenneth Imasuangbon lacked cogent and verifiable evidence in the allegations against Akpata.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Okon Abang on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal held among others, that Imasuangbon failed to explore the internal conflict resolution mechanism of the Labour Party before filing the legal action.
To this end, the Court held that his case was premature in law and cannot be entertained on the ground that conditions precedents were not met.
The unanimous judgment of the three-member panel of Justices of the court also held that the appellant failed to tender the disputed results of the February 23 primary election of the party which he claimed to have won.
Justice Abang said, the claim of Imasuangbon that he was not given official results by Labour Party cannot hold waters because he had his agent at the primary election.
The court held that, the appellant did not call as witness, a single delegate from those he claimed voted for him at the primary election and further held that Imansuangbon’s allegations that Akpata did not sign the Indemnity Form is statute-barred and therefore lacked jurisdiction.
The Appeal Court therefore upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Benin delivered by Justice Babatunde Quadiri which had earlier dismissed Imasuangbon’s suit for want of merit.
Imasuangbon had in the suit prayed that Akpata be disqualified as Labour Party governorship candidate on the allegations that he was not qualified to have participated in the poll.
He asked for an order of the court compelling Labour Party to withdraw the candidacy of Akpata and submit his own name as the right candidate having come second in the primary election.
But Justice Babatunde Quadri, in his judgment, dismissed his suit for lacking in merit, based on speculation and want of jurisdiction.
Justice Quadri declared the suit premature and without substantial evidence to support its claims.
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