Ahead of the 2023 elections, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has disqualified 16 House of Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, from contesting in the race.
This comes two weeks after a Federal High Court in the same jurisdiction, declared the nomination of candidates of the APC invalid for the 2023 general election.
Justice E.A. Obile had nullified the primaries of the APC in the state, following a suit filed by one George Orlu and four others over alleged exclusion in the party’s primaries.
However, Justice Turaki Muhammed of the Federal High Court, in his ruling on Friday, November 11, sacked the 16 candidates of the party for the state assembly seats, out of 32.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had filed the case against the APC registered in suit (FHC/PH/CS/152/2022).
The PDP claimed in the suit that the primaries of the affected candidates were not monitored by the officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The affected state constituencies and their candidates disqualified are Andoni, Etche 1 and 2, Tai, Gokana, Eleme, Port Harcourt City 1, 2 and 3, Khana 1 and 2 Okrika, Ahoada West and Obio-Akpor 1 and 2 state constituencies.
The candidates cleared by the court to participate in the 2023 general elections are Emohua, Ahoada East 1 and 2, Ikwerre, Omuma, Ogu Bolo, Bonny, Asari Toru, Akuku Toru 1 and 2, Ogba Egbema Ndoni 1 and 2, Opobo-Nkoru, Abua-Odua, Oyigbo and Degema constituencies.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the presidential candidate of Nigeria’s governing APC for the 2023 elections. Tinubu has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately.