Mr Kalu Kalu Agu, a chieftain of the All Progressive Party, has asked a high court in Abuja to stop the APC and its candidate, Mr Olurotimi Akeredolu (SAN) from contesting in the Ondo gubernatorial polls barely 24 hours to the elections.
The plaintiff in the suit filed by his lawyer, accused APC of breaking the law by nominating candidates while the party is being headed by a caretaker committee. He claims that the nomination of candidates by law ought to be by no other person but the Chairman and Secretary of the party.
He equally accused INEC of “qualifying persons as candidates in election being conducted by it when the names of such candidates were not submitted by the National Chairman or/and Secretary of the APC.”
The aggrieved chieftain is seeking the exclusion of APC’s candidates, including Mr Akeredolu, Mr Abiru Tokunbo contesting for Lagos East Senatorial District and Mr Frank Ibezim contesting for Imo North Senatorial District, from further elections pending the determination of the suit challenging the dissolution of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National working Committee (NWC) by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party.
The plaintiff, who is a youth leader in APC, Abia State, argued that “there is no lawful provision for a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of a political party at all”.
He equally claimed that it is his civic responsibility to respect and uphold the provisions of the 1999 Constitution; adding that he does not want the APC to “lose its status as a political party due to non-registration of its national officers with INEC.”
The respondents in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/736/2020 and filed on October 9, 2020, include; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, Chairman of APC Caretaker Committee, other members of the Caretaker Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.