Tina Amanda
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned for hearing in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State, against Accord Party, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and fourteen others which is challenging the Party’s primaries.
The PDP is against the inclusion of candidates of Accord Party by INEC to contest for Senate and House of Representative positions in the state.
Aggrieved by the inclusion, PDP had approached the Court seeking INEC not to accept the candidates of Accord Party that was presented to them as they did not comply with the requirements of the electoral act.
During the proceeding, Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN Abdulhamid Mohammed, Counsel representing Accord Party informed the court that they have filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of court to hear the matter which they have served to all parties involved.
Counsel to Peoples Democratic Party, Dike Udenna told the court that they just received the application from the 1st Defendant and are yet to file their processes in court while asking for more time to respond.
The presiding Judge, Justice Stephen Dalyop, after listening to Counsels in the case adjourned to 29 July, 2022, for the hearing of the substantive suit and the preliminary objection.
In an interview with our correspondent, Counsel to PDP, Dike Udenna, said INEC was supposed to have rejected Accord Party’s aspirants and not to have accepted them, published their names as eligible candidates.
“We came to court to challenge the decision of INEC to include Accord Party aspirants as eligible candidates and they in turn are challenging the court jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Also, Counsel representing Accord Party, Abdulhamid Mohammed, explained that for PDP not coming to court after the expiration of 14 days the primaries were held, it’s already status bar.
“We filed a preliminary objection, we filed a conditional appearance and we want to contest the jurisdiction of the court to hear and determine the suit. We are saying PDP is in slumber, they have squandered their time in coming to court.
“PDP has no locus to come to court to file this suit by virtue of the constitutional and statutory provision in the electoral act”.
Meanwhile, the Gubernatorial candidate for Accord Party, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, said the Party Accord did the right by fielding candidates as no candidate was disenfranchised by the primaries conducted by INEC.
“I think that the PDP in the state has just displayed a high level of hysteria by coming to court, it has nothing to do with PDP, we have not seen any member of Accord contesting what has happened, only for a political party that is completely different from Accord Party to say the Party did not conduct their primaries. Well, that is in line with electoral act.
“What are they are afraid of? I thought they said these are small parties without structures, the massive parties with structures are now afraid of small parties without structures? Accord has done the right thing by fielding very strong candidates.
“The last time similar thing happened, they tried to stop us from contesting election through all this kangaroo Court activities and it was over turned at the court of appeal and supreme court, now they are at it again.
“This is an unnecessary distraction. We are focused and we expect the PDP Governor of the state to concentrate and deliver good governance to the Rivers people. There are lots of problems in the state”.
