Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Friday, September 6, 2024, delivered a decisive judgment that further cements the political standing of Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Edo State.
The appeal, filed by Arthur Osene, challenged Ighodalo’s nomination and four others, but the court upheld the previous ruling.
Justice Barka JCA, in the Appeal case no. CA/ABJ/CV/863/2024, reiterated that ‘jurisdiction is a threshold issue”. A pre-election suit must be filed within the 14-day statutory period, and any breach, even by one day, renders the court without jurisdiction. Since this suit was filed outside that period, the court dismissed the case outright.
Additionally, the court ruled that the allegations regarding a forged Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) were irrelevant, as they did not constitute a valid ground for disqualification, and the plaintiffs failed to prove any criminal activity related to the allegations.
The Court consequently dismissed the Appeal for lack of jurisdiction and reaffirmed Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the validly nominated Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Edo State ahead of the scheduled September 21st Guber Election.