Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Supreme Court on Monday declared Barrister Chijioke Edeoga as the validly nominated Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State.
In its judgment, the apex court presided over by Justice Kekere Ekun JSC dismissed the Appeal of Evarest Edeh Nnaji and affirmed Edeoga as the validly nominated candidate of the party in the March, 11, 2023.
The court upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division which declared Edeoga as the authentic candidate.
It described Nnaji (Odengene) as a meddlesome interloper who shouldn’t have gone to court in the first place, since he didn’t participate in the Labour Party Governorship Primaries.
The Court held that the Appeal was dead on arrival owing to the fact that Mr. Nnaji did not participate in the primary Election held by the party “and is unable to satisfy the court that he was a duly nominated candidate by consensus in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2022 having failed to demonstrate that there was a special convention affirming him as the consensus candidate,” the Justice ruled.
The Court agreed with the Lead Counsel representing the Labour Party; Alex Ejesieme, SAN and M.J Numa, SAN, that the Appellant contention at the trial court culminating into the Appeal was against Public Policy as the Appellant lacks the requisite locus standi.
