2023 Elections: See What The Court Just Did To Labour Party

2023 Elections: See What The Court Just Did To Labour Party

With less than 72 hours to the scheduled governorship election in Benue State, the Federal High Court in Abuja sacked the state’s deputy governorship candidate, Chief Idu Christopher Onyiloyi, on Wednesday.

The court, in a decision delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, reinstated Dr. Ochechi Godwin Adejor as the party’s deputy governorship candidate for the election.

Justice Ekwo ruled that because Onyiloyi voluntarily resigned his candidacy and deposed to an affidavit to that effect, he no longer held the same status in law.

The evidence presented to the court established that Onyiloyi personally wrote a letter to the party withdrawing from the governorship race.

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It was noted that the letter was backed up by a court affidavit.

As a result, relying on sections 221, 222 of the 1999 Constitution and sections 29, 31, 32, 33, and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, Justice Ekwo ruled that Onyiloyi could no longer lay claim to the position because he had voluntarily withdrawn his candidacy.

He claimed that the party was obligated to remove his name and replace it with Adejor’s.

Justice Ekwo directed that the plaintiff’s name be immediately forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for publication as its lawful deputy governorship candidate for the election.

Furthermore, the court issued an order compelling INEC to publish the plaintiff’s name, while also issuing a perpetual injunction prohibiting the electoral body from accepting any name other than the plaintiff’s as the LP’s deputy governorship candidate.

The court also issued an order prohibiting Onyiloyi from campaigning as the LP’s deputy governorship candidate in Benue state.

It also prohibited the party from recognizing him as its deputy governorship candidate.

LP, INEC, and Onyiloyi were named as defendants in the FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2022 lawsuit.