Edo LP Guber Suit: Court Delivers Judgment July 22

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu has reserved judgment to July 22, 2024 to determine the candidacy battle in the Labour Party (LP) governorship suit between the party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata and an aspirant, Kenneth Imansuangbon.

A Federal High Court, which sat in Benin on June 11, 2024, had also fixed July 19th to deliver judgment on the LP governorship primaries. 

The plaintiff, Imansuangbon, had alleged that the candidate did not follow the electoral guidelines in the primaries, adding that he (Akpata) did not fill and sign the indemnity form among other grounds.

At the resumption of hearing in Abuja on Tuesday before Justice Egwuatu, the counsel to both the plaintiff and the defendant  written addresses were adopted after a three-hour intensive legal crossfire by the party’s legal representatives.

The counsel to Imansuangbon, A. A. Malik (SAN), led other nine counsel pleading the Federal High Court to declare the plaintiff as the winner of the LP primaries.

Malik alleged that the defendant violated the Electoral Act and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines and therefore was not qualified to stand as the LP governorship candidate.

Imansuangbon’s counsel wanted the court to determine whether Akpata “has not supplied or otherwise given false information to the INEC within the meaning or contemplation of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)”.

He sought the disqualification of Akpata, citing section 29 of the Electoral Act and that Imansuangbon should be declared as the winner.

The counsel to the defendant, J.J Usman (SAN), on the other hand, asked the court to dismiss the applications of the plaintiff for lack of merit.

He argued that Akpata Olumide Anthony and Akpata Olumide Osaigbovo is the same person, contrary to claims by Imansuangbon, that he wasn’t the same person.

Justice Ogwuatu subsequently fixed July 22nd for judgment