Court overturns 12 assembly appointments Rivers ADC and ADP

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The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt overturned the nominations of 12 House of Assembly candidates put forward by the African Democratic Congress and the Democratic Action Party in Rivers State.

This was after the presiding judge, Judge Turaki Mohammed, agreed with the People's Democratic Party that the party failed to follow electoral law in their primaries.

Recall that the PDP prosecuted 12 ADC candidates for the House of Assembly for non-compliance with the new electoral law.

Judge Mohammed, in his judgment, declared that the INEC no longer had the legal right to publish and accept the candidature of the seven candidates of the ADC, because the evidence of which he had showed that the party had not complied with the provisions of the new electoral law.

ADC lawyer Benibo told reporters that the legal team would study the judgment and decide whether or not to appeal.

"I think he (the judge) found out that the party hadn't made it clear what kind of elections they were heading into. Whether direct, indirect or consensual.

"Five survived, seven of them were knocked out. Maybe we'll appeal because since the information was given to INEC, they know what kind of elections should have taken place.

"But we will go free, sit down, and critically consider my lord's judgment. If we find it necessary for us to appeal, we may.

"But it depends on what the party decides," he said.

For his part, one of the PDP lawyers, Dike Udenna, said that some of the primaries of the parties involved were not being monitored by the INEC.

"The court found that some of the primaries held by the ADC for the nomination of candidates for the House of Assembly were improper.

"It's either direct, indirect, or consensus." Any other primary mode of driving is illegal. So, on that account, the court overturned the appointment.

The constituencies where the ADC will not field candidates are Tai, Onelga, Etche and Ahoada.

Similarly, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt struck down five House of Assembly candidates from the state's Democratic Action Party for the party's failure to comply with the new election law .

Recall that the PDP in the state sued ten candidates for the ADP House of Assembly for non-compliance with the new electoral law.

When the case went to trial, the presiding judge, Judge Turaki Muhammed, said that the PDP was able to prove in court that five of the primaries of the ADP candidates for the House of Assembly were not monitored by the INEC. as such remains invalid.

Our correspondent reported that Judge Muhammed, however, said he could not overrule the other five ADP candidates because the PDP had not provided enough evidence to determine that the primaries had taken place outside the constituencies.

The affected constituencies that will not field candidates are Emohua, Eleme, Bonny, Omuma and Oyigbo.

While in Asari Toru Constituencies 1 and 2 as well as Port Harcourt Constituencies 1, 2 and 3, the ADP candidates were not invalidated.

A lawyer for the PDP, Udenna, told reporters that the court had proven that the PDP had a record and that the invalidation of some candidates for the National Assembly had shown that the party did not respect not the electoral law.< /p>

State ADP Chairman Christian Kendrick said in the coming days that he would propose his next course of action after consulting with his attorneys.