The Federal High Court sitting in Enugu has dismissed the suit seeking to disqualify all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State.
Chika Idoko of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Enugu North Senatorial zone candidate of his party had approached the court to compel INEC to disqualify all PDP candidates for breaching the electoral acts in the conduct of their party primaries.
In her judgement on Friday, February 17, 2023, the presiding judge, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo, said the matter was not statute-barred because it was not filed outside 14 days after the first defendant (INEC) had published the names of candidates.
The judge however stated that the appellant lacked the locus standi to institute the matter because he was not an aspirant or a member of the second respondent (PDP).
To this effect, Justice Ogunbanjo struck out the suit, saying “This court lacks jurisdiction to hear the originating summons because it will be an exercise in futility.
“Where the plaintiff lacks locus standi to maintain the matter, the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the suit”.
More details later…