BY IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo state, Eric Edoba Uwubamwen, has prayed a Federal High Court sitting in Benin to stop Mr Billy Osawaru, a Federal House of Representatives aspirant for Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon Federal Constituency from presenting himself at the party primary as an aspirant.
Joined in the suit are the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as first and second defendants respectively.
Uwubamwen who is being represented by his counsel, O Edefekrire Esq. also want the court to determine whether a person not duly registered with a political party can contest or seek to contest a position at the primary elections of that party.
The plaintiff claimed that having contested and lost primary election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018/2019 and thereafter left for the United States of America where he now lives.
The plaintiff also claimed that during the period of APC registration for new members, the first defendant was no where near the shores of Nigeria therefore could not have been registered as a member of APC.
The plaintiff now seek for the deternation of the following: “Whether the 1st Defendant, (Osawaru) can maintain his membership of one political party and without due resignation, seek nomination to contest in the House of Representatives primary elections under the platform of another party (i.e the 2nd defendant)
“Whether by the APC constitution, the 1st Defendant has been validly registered as member of the party when the purported registration was done in his absence”.