It is not yet uhuru for former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Prof.Charles Soludo who won the November 6 Anambra State governorship election with wide margin after a supplementary election.
As a Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 30 for judgment in the suit challenging the qualification of governor-elect, Prof. Charles Soludo and his Deputy governor-elect, Onyeka Ibezim, to contest the said governorship election.
Two Indegenes of Anambra State, Adindu Valentine and Egwudike Chukwuebuka had in May approached the Federal High Court after Soludo submitted his nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contending that the information soludo supplied were false.
They therefore prayed that the two contestants should be deem unqualified to stand for election.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo fixed the date after lawyers to parties made their final submissions.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/711/2021, the plaintiffs claimed that Soludo indicated in the affidavit that he was contesting the Aguata 2 Constituency seat when, in fact, he was contesting the Anambra governorship seat.
Defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Soludo and Ibezim.
In their final submission, plaintiffs’ lawyers, A. O. Ijeri and Kelvin Okoko, argued that having indicated the wrong seat he was contesting, Soludo supplied INEC with false information, violated extant legal provisions and ought to be disqualified.
“The constitution has made a state a constituency in relation to the governorship election, but in this case, the third defendant (Soludo) named Aguata 2 as the constituency he is contesting,” Ijeri said.
As against the contention by lawyers to the second to fourth defendants, Ijeri argued that his clients have established that there was a cause of action and that the court has jurisdiction to determine the case.
“The cause of action in a pre-election matter, by the provision of Section 285(9) of the Constitution, is determined by the date of the occurrence of the event, a decision or action complained about in the suit by the plaintiff.
“There is evidence that INEC received the submitted Form EC9 on July 6, 2021,” Ijeri said.
He then prayed the court to find merit in the case and grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.
Lawyer for APGA and Soludo, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), argued that the suit was without merit and that the court lacked jurisdiction.
Ikpeazu contended that error in an affidavit cannot be a basis to disqualify a candidate from election, noting that the false information contemplated in Section 31 of the Electoral Act was criminal in nature.
Lawyer to Ibezim, C. Mbaeri, argued in similar vein and prayed the court to uphold his objection and dismiss the suit.
Lawyer to INEC, Bashir Abubakar, said his client did not file any process in the case and has elected to leave the decision at the discretion of the court.