A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a motion ex-parte filed by a faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, seeking to stop Athan Achonu from contesting as the party’s governorship candidate in the Imo state election scheduled for Saturday.
The motion ex-parte, which was moved by Mohammed Mohammed, SAN, on behalf of the plaintiffs, prayed for an order of interim injunction recognising their candidate, Chief Joseph Ukaegbu, as the validly elected standard bearer of the party.
However, Justice Inyang Ekwo, who presided over the case, refused to grant the prayer and ordered the plaintiffs to put the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the sole defendant in the suit, on notice.
The judge said he needed to hear from INEC before making further order on the motion and adjourned the matter till Friday for the electoral body to show cause.
The plaintiffs in the suit are LP, Alhaji Apapa (Acting National Chairman), Alhaji Lawal Saleh (Acting National Secretary) and Comrade Abayomi Arabambi (National Publicity Secretary).
READ ALSO: Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo: We’re Neutral – INEC Chairman
They claimed that Ukaegbu emerged from the primary conducted by the Apapa-led National Working Committee (NWC) of LP on April 16 and that INEC should recognise him as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo.
They also sought an order directing INEC to upload Apapa and Saleh’s names as the acting national chairman and acting national secretary, respectively, of the party, pending the determination of the motion on notice.