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Court Dismisses Appeal to Disqualify Edo State Governorship Candidate

In a recent development, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by governorship aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Arthur Esene and Anselm Ojezua, seeking the disqualification of the party’s candidate in the upcoming September 21 governorship election, Asue Ighodalo.

The appeal was dismissed on the grounds that it was filed out of time and was statute-barred. The court also upheld the judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which dismissed the suit for lack of merit.

The appellants had claimed that Ighodalo forged his voter’s card, but the court found that they failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claim. Moreover, the court held that non-possession of a voter’s card does not constitute a disqualifying factor under the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Justice Hamma Barka, who delivered the lead judgment, also agreed with the findings of the Federal High Court that Ighodalo had applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the transfer of his registration from Lagos State to Edo State and that INEC issued a voter’s card to him.

As a result, Justice Barka struck out the appeal for being without merit and awarded the cost of N3 million against the appellants in favor of Ighodalo, the PDP, and INEC. Other members of the panel, Justices Usman Musale and Okon Abang, agreed with the lead judgment.

The court’s decision has paved the way for Ighodalo to continue as the PDP’s candidate in the upcoming governorship election.