…disqualifying him, deputy, 3 weeks after Abuja court clears Audu
On Wednesday the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the September 19, 2020 election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has kicked over the conflicting judgment of Edo State High Court in Benin, which disqualified him and his running mate, Mallam Gani Audu.
The judgment was delivered three weeks after the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, of coordinate jurisdiction, delivered a favourable judgment that cleared Audu, who is a member of the Edo House of Assembly.
Ize-Iyamu, a former Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG), in an online statement said: “I have received the news of the judgment delivered today, 6th day of January 202, by the Edo State High Court, sitting in Benin City, disqualifying me and my running mate, Hon. Gani Audu, from contesting the gubernatorial election held in Edo State on 19th September, 2020.
“This judgement, to say the least, is unfortunate and utterly wrong. I have already instructed my counsel to appeal the judgement, as I am convinced that the Court of Appeal will dispassionately consider the facts presented before the court and arrive at a just decision, in accordance with the law.”
He also urged all his teeming supporters to remain calm and law abiding, while assuring them that justice would surely prevail in the matter, to the glory of God.
The FHC, Abuja, three weeks ago, dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify Audu.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/758/2020, was filed by the Action Democratic Party (ADP), one of the political parties.
ADP alleged that Ize-Iyamu’s running mate presented forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ahead of the bloody September 19 poll in the Southsouth state.
The plaintiff (ADP) also alleged that the documents contained misleading discrepancies, especially in Audu’s name arrangement, but the court, however, dismissed the suit with cost.
Edo high court 7, sitting in Benin Wednesday, however, voided Edo APC’s deputy governorship candidacy in the September 19 last year’s election.
Kadiri Oshoakhemhe had in a suit with reference number: B/358/20, filed a case against the APC’s deputy governorship candidate and two others.
The presiding judge, Justice H.A. Courage-Ogbebor, while delivering the judgment Wednesday, claimed that Audu gave false information to INEC in his Form EC9.
Edo Chairman of APC, Col. David Imuse (rtd.), in his reaction, however, declared that Courage-Ogbebor delivered the controversial judgment without jurisdiction, in the pre-election suit.
In the suit with reference number: B/358/2020: Kadiri Sunday Oshoakpemhe v. Audu Abudu Ganiyu & 2 Others, the presiding judge noted that his decision was rendered from a calculus that worked from answer to question.
