By Ruth Oginyi
A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital has dismissed a suit, filed by the opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the state Governor Francis Nwifuru challenging his nomination by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its governorship candidate in the 2023 general election.
The suit with suit no: FHC/AI/CS/7/2023, filed by Mudi Erhenede, a chieftain of the PDP against Governor Francis Nwifuru was dismissed for lacking in merit.
Erhenede who is a Lead Counsel to the PDP, was seeking disqualification of Governor Nwifuru as the candidate of the APC, arguing that the governor was a member of the PDP when he contested the governorship election.
He said that the governor is still a member of the PDP and hadn’t performed or fulfilled the lawful procedures as stipulated by the party’s constitution which guarantees individuals the permit to leave the party for defection or whatsoever reason.
He prayed the court to declare that the governor’s election should be considered unsatisfactory.
But Counsel to Governor Nwifuru, Bar Ejike Anwu, asked the court to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
Anwu argued that the matter was a pre-election matter and therefore statute barred by virtues of section 285 paragraph 9 of the 1999 constitution.
In his ruling, the Presiding Judge, Justice H. A. Nganjiwa agreed with the position of the governor’s counsel and dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.
