PDP contests INEC’s publication of APC candidates’ names:

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the publication of the names of candidates of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections.

The PDP, represented by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), argued that INEC should not have published or displayed the purported list of candidates for APC, following the court’s voiding of the congresses and primary elections, which produced them.

He urged the court to order INEC to withdraw the list as published by INEC and mark them disqualified for failing to comply with the stipulated procedure for selecting candidates for election as provided by the Electoral Act.

However the APC factions, represented by Henry Bello (for Abe) and Kayode Alatoki (for Amaechi), objected to the application on the grounds that the PDP had no right to meddle into the internal affairs of another party.

Ukala, who spoke through his assistant, Dike Udenna, said: “The PDP is one of the political parties in Nigeria participating in the 2019 elections. It has nominated and is sponsoring candidates for that election, therefore it is entitled, as of right, to check and ensure that its contenders meet the same guidelines, conditions, regulations, laws.

“We are on this matter because we have discovered that the APC is seeking to participate in the election but has not complied with the same requirements and laws to hold valid primaries, and INEC is going along with it, which we think is unacceptable, in view of Section 87 (1), which says for a political party to participate in an election, it must hold primaries for its candidates.”

Justice Omotoso also adjourned a suit by PDP, challenging the INEC’s publication of names of APC candidates for the 2019 election despite the court’s nullification of the state congresses
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