Court reverses APC’s substitution of Reps candidate in Cross River

•Orders APC, INEC to recognise Abang

A Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross Rivers State to substitute the name of Victor Abang for Cetus Obun as its candidate for the House of Representative seat of Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency of Cross Rivers State for the 2019 general election.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, in a judgment on December 18 this year, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the name of Abang as a replacement for Obun, earlier submitted by the party, as the APC’s authentic candidate for the election.

Justice Dimgba gave an order of mandatory injunction compelling INEC to “recognise and publish the name of the plaintiff (Victor Abang) as the candidate of the 1st defendant (APC) for the House of Representatives seat of Ikon/Boki Federal Constituency of Cross Rivers State for the 2019 general election.”

The judgment was on a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1270/2018 filed by Victor Abang, With APC, Cetus Obun and INEC as defendants.

Justice Dimgba directed the APC to forthwith, submit the name of Abang to INEC as its candidate for the election “being the aspirant, who scored the highest number of votes at the 1st defendant’s (APC’s) primary election in respect of the House of Representatives seat of Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency.

The judge held that Abang was the winner of the primary election conducted by the APC for the House of Representatives seat of Ikom/Boki Constituency of Cross River state and that he is entitled to have his name forwarded to INEC.

“A declaration is hereby made that the submission of the name of the 2nd defendant (Obun) instead of the plaintiff (Abang) as candidate of the 1st defendant (APC) for the House of Representatives seat of Ikom/Boki Constituency of Cross River State for the 2019 general election by the 1st defendant to the 3rd defendant (INEC) and the acceptance of same by the 3rd defendant is illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever”, the judge held.

Justice Dimgba also restrained Obun from parading himself as the APC’s candidate for election into the House of Representatives seat of Ikom/Boki Constituency of Cross River State.

The judge consequently directed APC to submit Abang’s name to INEC as its candidate for election into the House of Representatives seat of Ikom/Boki Constituency of Cross River State.

INEC was also directed to forthwith substitute Abang’s name with that of Obun.