Court strikes out suit challenging Otti's guber candidacy for APGA

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(Nigeria) The Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State on Wednesday struck out a suit challenging Dr Alex Otti’s candidacy in the April 28 governorship election in Abia State.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state, Chief Reagan Ufomba, instituted a case challenging Otti’s candidacy in the poll.
Ufomba claimed that Otti did not resign his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when his name was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the party’s flag bearer.
He submitted that the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, was no longer the party's chairman when the primary that produced Otti was held.
According to him, Umeh lacked the powers to present Otti as the party's governorship flag bearer.
The plaintiff further argued that the primary election conducted by Umeh's leadership was illegal.
Also joined in the suit were APGA, Umeh and INEC.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Folashade-Adejoke Olubanjo struck out the suit for lack of merit.
Olubanjo said that there was a subsisting Court of Appeal decision over the leadership of APGA by Chief Umeh.
He further said that the issue of the authentic governorship candidate of APGA in the election ‘’is not justiceable’’.
He upheld all the preliminary objections raised by the defendants and struck out the case.
According to him, ``the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the suit under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.’’

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