The Action Peoples Party (APP) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the annulment of the electoral success achieved by its candidates in the Rivers Local Government (LG) elections conducted on October 5.
The plaintiff, Juboye Abraham, represented by his attorney, Ukpai Ukairo, filed the suit, designated as FHC/ABJ/CS/1464/2024, requesting Justice Binta Nyako to issue an order nullifying the candidacy of the APP in the aforementioned election.
Abraham has also requested the court to invalidate all votes cast for local government chairmanship positions on the APP platform, citing violations of Section 225(A) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and applicable Rivers Local Government Law.
According to reports, the suit, dated October 4, names the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APP, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as the first to third defendants.
Additionally, the suit includes the elected local government chairpersons, namely Chijioke Ihunwo, Ezebunwo Ichemati, Chief Brain Gokpa, David Omereji, John Ngubo-Otamiri, Promise Reginald, Mathew Dike, Enyiada Cookey-Gam, Anengi Barasua Claude-Wilcox, Dr. Igwe Achese, and Prince Isaac Umejuru, as the fourth to fourteenth defendants.
Abraham’s suit posits seven questions for judicial determination, including whether INEC possesses the authority under Section 225(A) of the 1999 Constitution to deregister political parties that violate its provisions.
The questions further inquire if, upon a positive response to the first query, INEC can deregister APP for breaching the same constitutional section, and whether INEC can continue to grant APP the status of a registered political party.
If the answers to these inquiries are negative, the suit questions whether RSIEC can accept the names of the fourth to twenty-sixth defendants as candidates for the October 5, 2024, Rivers State Local Government elections, and whether RSIEC can place APP’s logo on the ballot.
Abraham further aims to have the candidacy of the fourth to twenty-sixth defendants annulled and all votes cast for them invalidated for their infringement of Section 226(A) of the Constitution and applicable Rivers Local Government law.
