APC asks court to disqualify PDP candidates

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its governorship candidate and 31 others before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, over non-compliance to Electoral Act.

The APC, in its petition, is praying the court to disqualify all the candidates of the PDP for 2023 general election for allegedly delaying to forward the register containing the names of their candidates to INEC within 30 days as required by law. 

It also wants the court to disqualify PDP candidates in the state for not properly signing the letter containing the names of the candidates before forwarding it.

When the matter was mentioned in court, counsel for APC, C. C. Dike, moved a motion of ex parte for substituted service to all the respondents and the court granted the ex parte orders, which enable the plaintiff to serve the respondents by pasting the process on the wall of their addresses.

Presiding Judge, Ayuah Phoebe, before adjourning the case till August 31, 2022, for hearing, directed the plaintiff to effect service to the respondents before the next adjourned date.

Speaking to newsmen outside the courtroom, one of the counsel for APC, Living Gifting-Jamala, explained why they applied for an  ex parte order of the court to serve the respondents through substituted means and the reason for the suit.