A Federal High Court sitting in Benin has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and publish the names of candidates produced by the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s faction of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party as standard-bearers of the party in the forthcoming 2023 elections.

This is the second ruling coming from the Federal High Court.

The first came in May when a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided by Justice Inyang Ekpo, gave an order to INEC to recognise the candidates of Chief Dan Orbih’s faction of the party in Edo.

However, in a judgement delivered on Tuesday by Justice S.M Shuaibu, the court granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs include the party’s candidate for Edo South Senatorial District, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen; Sunny Aguebor for Oredo Federal Constituency, and the flag bearer for Akoko Edo Federal Constituency, Kabiru Adjoto, among others.

Amongst the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs is an Order of Court mandating the fourth defendant, INEC, to publish the names of the plaintiffs as the validly elected candidates of the Edo PDP for the 2023 general election.

The Judge noted that based on past decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the state chapter of a political party is not empowered by law to conduct party primaries and that only the National Working Committee of a political party has the power to conduct party primaries.

He said, “There is nothing before the Honourable Court to show that the primaries in which the fourth to 39th defendants participated were conducted by the National Working Committee of the PDP. Rather, their primaries were conducted by the Edo State chapter of the PDP.”

The Judge held, “In my view, the power of INEC under Section 84 of the Electoral Act is limited to monitoring of party primary elections and does not extend to preparing or declaring the results of that election. This remains the law.”

“In the light of the foregoing, the fourth defendant, INEC, cannot rely on results prepared by the first defendant, Edo PDP,” he noted.

This is the second ruling coming from the Federal High Court.

The Judge noted that based on past decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the state chapter of a political party is not empowered by law to conduct party primaries and that only the National Working Committee of a political party has the power to conduct party primaries.

He said, “There is nothing before the Honourable Court to show that the primaries in which the fourth to 39th defendants participated were conducted by the National Working Committee of the PDP. Rather, their primaries were conducted by the Edo State chapter of the PDP

ChangetheChange:
Obaseki is a GOAL
Wike ti lule
Obaseki 1 vS Dan Orbih 0
Wike and his any wehre belle face loyalists are gradually going into political wilderness after 2023 election

fergie001:

This politics no be anybody mate at all.

garfield1 kyase agborietoye
Obaseki's defection have been halted ooooo....

The SC will not deviate. There is no point for INEC to monitor delegates elections then since they don't have anything to do there.

fergie001:

This politics no be anybody mate at all.

garfield1 kyase agborietoye
Obaseki's defection have been halted ooooo....

The SC will not deviate. There is no point for INEC to monitor delegates elections then since they don't have anything to do there.

The Judge noted that based on past decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the state chapter of a political party is not empowered by law to conduct party primaries and that only the National Working Committee of a political party has the power to conduct party primaries.

ChangetheChange:

Sure
Obaseki faction will flog Dan Orbih faction again in both Appeal court and supreme court based on both courts previous precedents

fergie001:

The case is wrt delegates.
The SC has ruled many times that it is the domestic affairs of a Political Party and the Court is divested from that.

INEC report supports the Orbih-faction, then the matter was taken to Appeal Court, Appeal Court ruled that it is only the NWC that can submit names of delegates and not Edo PDP.

The NWC sided with Obaseki wrt their list. Now , they went to Court armed with the Appeal Court judgement to get this ruling today.

The SC will rule on the matter on the 29th of September. I don't think they will rule something different. This is one of the reasons of Wike's grievance but I don't sympathise with him.

Correct
Nobody will sympathise with Wike
Wike has created too many enemies for himself both within PDP and outside PDP.
After 2023 election,Wike will be isolated by both PDP and the opposition party members he is currently hobnobbing with
Wike is an unstable politician when things doesn't go his way and a walking time bomb, any reasonable politician will want to avoid after 2023 election

ChangetheChange:


Correct
Nobody will sympathise with Wike
Wike has created too many enemies for himself both within PDP and outside PDP.
After 2023 election,Wike will be isolated by both PDP and the opposition party members he is currently hobnobbing with.

fergie001:

I just like his live band, dazzol

ChangetheChange:


Wike and the Wailers live band
Wike should just focus on Live Band Music after he hands over power in 2023, that is his true calling

Maxymilliano:

Conflicting judicial pronouncement from court of coordinate jurisdiction