Court asked to set aside nomination of Soludo as Anambra APGA candidate

The controversy trailing the nomination of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Charles Soludo, as the flag bearer of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, has resulted into a lawsuit filed before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

In the originating summons, a chieftain of the party, Okoye Nwabuogo, is seeking an order of court setting aside the election and nomination of Soludo as the party’s candidate for the November election.

The suit dated July 6, 2021, and filed the same day by counsel to the plaintiff, Okoro Nkemakolam, is further seeking an order restraining Soludu from parading himself as the validly or duly elected candidate of the party for the said election.

It is the case of the plaintiff, who is a card-carrying member of the party and a registered voter, that the statutory 21 days notice was not given to INEC by the party, prior to the holding of the special ward congress, held on June 15, 2021, for the election of ad hoc delegates for the nomination of the party’s governorship candidate for the Anambra State gubernatorial election scheduled to hold on November 6. 2021.

Listed as defendants in the pre-election suit are All Progressive Grand Alliance, Prof Charles Soludo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While urging the court to invalidate and set aside the entire primary election of the party held on June 23, the plaintiff is equally seeking an order of injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC, listed as 3rd defendant), from accepting the name of or recognising Prof Soludo (the 2nd Defendant), as the candidate of APGA (the 1st defendant), for the Anambra State gubernatorial general election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021.

She is also seeking an order of the court restraining the party from holding out or in any manner howsoever and/or according to Soludo the rights or privileges as its validly or duly elected candidate for the November 6, 2021 governorship election in the state.

In addition, she is further seeking a declaration that the party, is mandatorily required, given the provision of Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) to give to the 3rd defendant (INEC), the compulsory 21days statutory notice prior to the holding of the special ward congress, held on June 15, 2021, for the election of ad hoc delegates for the nomination of its governorship candidate for the Anambra State gubernatorial election scheduled to hold on November 6.

A declaration that the election of 812 delegates as against the 978 delegates, as provided for in Article 11(5)(vii) of the APGA Constitution 2019, to be ad hoc delegates, to elect the governorship candidate of the party, is illegal, unlawful, invalid, null and void.