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— We’ll get back ticket, win the election
The Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has nullified the primary of All Progressives Congress in for Akoko South-East and South-West Federal Constituency.
It also declared that the party has no candidate for the February 25, 2023 house of representatives elected in the federal constituency.
With the court judgment, the APC candidate, for the federal constituency, Mr Adegboyega Adefarati, has been restrained from being the party’s flag bearer in the election.
This verdict is coming a few days before the election.
An aspirant of the party, Mr Segun Ategbole, had approached the court after alleging infractions in the conduct of the party’s primary election, held last year, and urged the court to declare him the winner of the primary.
In the judgment, delivered by Justice T.B Adegoke, the court held that the APC had no candidate for House of Representatives in the 2023 Election as no valid primary election was held by the party.
It also restrained the APC from conducting any primary election as the window has closed having been shorter than 180 days allowed by the Electoral Act 2022.
The court restrained from accepting the name of the third defendant ( Gboyega Adefarati), the plaintiff or any other name whatsoever from the APC.
It also stopped the third defendant from parading himself as the candidate of APC for the February 25th, 2023 Election.
However, the state chapter of the party has rejected the judgement, saying it had directed its lawyers to file a stay of execution against the judgement.
The state Chairman of the party, Mr Ade Adetimehin, in a statement, said the party would challenge the judgement at the appeal court, with a view to securing a favourable judgement.
Adetimehin, in a statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, called on members of the party, and people of the federal constituency to stay calm, and allow peace to reign.
He added that “The party will definitely get back the ticket, and ultimately win the federal constituency come February 25th”
Vanguard
