Some aggrieved chieftains of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State have commence move for the
committal to prison of the National Chairman of the APC, Adams
Oshiomhole and the National Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,over their alleged
disobedience of a valid court order.
Already, a notice of consequence of
disobedience to order of court contained in Form 48 has been issued on
them by the court in respect of the suit brought by the plaintiffs.
The said Form 48 dated November 1, 2018
and filed on behalf of plaintiffs’ counsel, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria
(SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome, simply reads: “Take notice that unless you
obey the direction contained in this order, you will be guilty of
contempt of court and you will be liable to be committed to prison.”
The plaintiffs, the Chief Cyril
Ogodo-led Executive Officers (EXCO) of the APC in Delta State had in the
suit accused Oshiomhole and Yakubu of violating the orders of court to
maintain status quo over the issue of the authentic list of candidates
that emerged from the parallel primaries conducted in the state through
the two contending State Executives in the state.
Other Plaintiffs are Chief Moses Adjarho
(Chairman, APC Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State) and
Mr. Kayode Jimoh (Chairman, APC Ward 5, Sapele Local Government Area)
for themselves and other aggrieved members of the party in the state.
The defendants include the APC; members
of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and Prophet Jones
Erue, factional Chairman of the Delta State Chapter of APC.
The plaintiffs had dragged the APC,
Oshiomhole, INEC and Erue before the Asaba Division of the Federal High
Court over the issue of the authentic list of candidates that emerged
from the parallel primaries conducted in the state through the two
contending State Executives in the state.
In his ruling of October 17, Justice T.
B. Adegoke, of the Federal High Court in Asaba, ordered parties to
maintain status quo by not taking any further steps that could destroy
the res in the case.
While the primary of the Chief Cyril
Ogodo-led Exco produced Prof. Pat Utomi and Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as
governorship and senatorial candidates respectively, that of the Prophet
Jones Erue- led Exco produced Chief Great Ogboru and Senator Ovie
Omo-Agege as governorship and senatorial candidates, respectively.
However, Oshiomhole in spite of the
orders of the court went ahead to submit names of purported National
Assembly candidates from Delta APC to INEC and the Commission also went
ahead to receive and publish such names.
While Oshiomhole is cited for contempt
for submitting list of National Assembly candidates for Delta State to
INEC against a subsisting order of Court, Yakubu is alleged to be in
contempt for accepting and publishing such names.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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