The Supreme Court, on Monday, declared Chijioke Edeoga as the authentic governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Supreme Court, on Monday, declared Chijioke Edeoga as the authentic governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State.
Edeoga’s candidature was challenged by Everestus Nnaji.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ordered a fresh election but Edeoga went further to challenge the judgment at the Appeal Court.
He got a favourable judgement but Nnaji further moved to the Supreme Court.
In a judgement on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in Edeoga’s favour.
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The Court upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division which declared Edeoga as the authentic Labour Party governorship candidate.
A full Panel of the Supreme Court Presided over by Justice Kekekere Ekun described Nnaji (Odengene) as a meddlesome interloper who should not have gone to court in first place, since he did not participate in the Labour Party Governorship Primaries in the first place.
The Apex Court held that the Appeal was dead on arrival owing to the fact that Mr. Nnaji did not participate in the primary Election held by the party and is unable to satisfy the court that he was a duly nominated candidate by consensus in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2022, having failed to demonstrate that there was a special convention affirming him as the consensus candidate.
The court agreed with the Lead Counsel representing the Labour Party, Alex Ejesieme, SAN, and M.J Numa, SAN, that the appellant’s contention at the trial court culminating into the Appeal was against the law and that the appellant lacked the requisite locus standi.
With the judgement, all the hurdles before Edeoga in the build-up to the March 11 governorship election in the state, have been dismantled.