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| Mr. Udom Emmanuel |
An Abuja High Court on Friday granted the ex-parte application by Mr. Ime Ekanem, one of the 22 aspirants who indicated their interest in contesting the December 8 primaries in the state, restraining the PDP from submitting any name as outcome of the primaries to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court, as others in the Federal Capital Territory, has
since proceeded on vacation after fixing hearing in the substantive suit for
January 5, 2015 by which time the parties should have submitted the names of their candidates
to INEC.
Defendants in the suit are the PDP, its national chairman
and the national secretary.
Justice Y. Halilu also ordered the substituted service of
the motion on notice, originating summons and other processes in the suit on
the PDP chair and secretary through the office of the party’s national legal
adviser.
He, however, turned down the applicant’s third request for
the abridgement of the time for hearing on account of the Christmas and New
Year holidays.
Of the 23 aspirants who indicated interest in the ticket, 22
of them including Ekanem kicked against what they perceived as fundamental
irregularities at the start of the exercise and submitted a protest letter
through the Chairman of the State Electoral Panel.
Efforts by the protesting aspirants to seek redress from the
party’s Appeal Panel also failed.
They alleged non accreditation of delegates and their agents
at the venue of the primaries as well as the non display of delegates list in
violation of the party’s rules governing the primaries.
Culled from The Nation
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