A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba on Wednesday restrained the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress from forwarding any candidate list in the just concluded APC primaries in Delta State to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2019 general elections.
The Presiding judge, Justice Toyin Adegoke gave the order in a suit No. FHC/ASB/C8/76/2018 following a fresh suit filed by the state APC factional chairman, Chief Cyril Ogodo, Chief Moses Adjarho and Kayode Jimoh.
The defendants in the suit are the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, Independent National Electoral Commission and Prophet Jones Erue; who are 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 4th defendants respectively.
Adegoke also ordered applicants and plaintiffs in the suit to maintain status quo and desist from submitting any list candidates from the two factions in the state to INEC till the substantive suit filled is heard.
The state chapter of the APC had been embroiled in crisis since the last congress of the party where two factional chairmen emerged. While the immediate past national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, sworn in Ogodo as chairman, Oshiomhole upon assumption of office inaugurated Erue as chairman.
The factions also conducted parallel primaries where candidates equally emerged from the just concluded primary elections of the APC in the state.
The judge, while granting the prayers of the applicants, said the case would be given accelerated hearing since it was a pre-election matter.
Adegoke ruled that “This matter shall be given an accelerated hearing owing to the fact that it is a pre-election matter. All defendants are to take note of the tendencies of this suit.
“Parties shall maintain status quo as at today, the 17th day of November 2018. That is the order of this court.”
Addressing newsmen at the court premises, Counsel to the Applicants, Mr. O.J. Oghenejakpor said “The implication is that, as at today, no list of candidates has been submitted to INEC and none will be submitted until the court hear this case. Technically, the court has granted an injunction restraining any person to nominate any candidate from Delta State for the 2019 elections.”