Aggrieved Delta APC Chieftains Want Oshiomhole, INEC Chairman Jailed for Contempt

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

Some aggrieved chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State have commenced moves for the committal to prison of the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole 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 the 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 the plaintiffs’ counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), 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 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, while 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.

They 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 the parties to maintain the status quo by not taking any further steps that could destroy the res in the case.

While the primary of the Chief Ogodo-led executives produced Prof. Pat Utomi and Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as governorship and senatorial candidates respectively, that of the Prophet Erue-led executives produced Chief Great Ogboru and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as governorship and senatorial candidates respectively.

However, Oshiomole in spite of the orders of the court, went ahead to submit the names of purported National Assembly candidates from Delta APC to INEC and the commission also went ahead to receive and publish such names.

While Oshiomole is cited for contempt for submitting the list of National Assembly candidates for Delta State to INEC against a subsisting order of court, Prof. Yakubu ‎is alleged to be in contempt for accepting and publishing such names.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.