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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The battle for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State for the September 2024 election has taken a legal dimension with a suit seeking to invalidate the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as winner of the February primary election.
In a suit filed before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, one of the aspirants, Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri is seeking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC to recognise him as the lawful winner of the February 17, 2024, gubernatorial primary election.
During the primaries, Dekeri was declared the winner by the local government returning officers for the 2024 Edo All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election.
The LGA returning officer, Mr. Ojo Babatunde, who collated the authentic results from the poliiing units, declared Dekeri the winner with 25,384 votes to defeat his closest rival, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, who scored 14,127 votes.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/299/2024, was filed on behalf of the aggreived politician by his legal team led by Joseph Nwobike(SAN) and Chief Henry Akunebo(SAN) and ten others.
He is urging the court to hold that the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as winner of the rescheduled primary election for February 22, 2024, and as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Edo State Governorship election scheduled for September 20, 2024, is invalid, wrongful, and illegal as the same was done in brazen breach of the 1999 Constitution, Section 84(13) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended.
He cited the classical case of OJUKWU v. MILITARY GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE & ORS (1985) LPELR-21274 (CA) to remind INEC not to act against the law.
Meanwhile, some luminaries have claimed that Dekeri has a clear case since he was declared the winner by the LGA Retuning Officer, who was mandated by the party to collate and announce the results as the polling unit, while the main committee is just ceremonial. Furthermore, political analysts said Dekeri has the support and war chest to win the governorship election against the opposition party, as many electorate see Dekeri as another ‘Obidients Movement for Edo State.
