The Federal High Court in Abuja has set a date to take decision on November 30 in a suit challenging the qualification of the governor-elect and deputy governor-elect of Anambra State, Charles Soludo and Onyeka Ibezim in the last governorship election in Anambra state.
After counsel for both parties submitted their last submissions, Justice Taiwo Taiwo set the date on Tuesday.
The plaintiffs, Adindu Valentine and Egwudike Chukwuebuka, claim that Soludo gave false information in his affidavit (Form EC9) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and that he should be disqualified from holding the office.
The plaintiffs alleged in the complaint titled FHC/ABJ/CS/711/2021 that Soludo said in his affidavit that he was contesting the Aguata 2 Constituency seat while he was actually contesting the Anambra governorship seat.
INEC, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Soludo, and Ibezim are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers, A. O. Ijeri and Kelvin Okoko, argued in their final submission that by indicating the wrong seat he was contesting, Soludo provided INEC with false information, violated existing legal provisions, and should be disqualified.
“The constitution has made a state a constituency in relation to the governorship election, but in this case, the third defendant (Soludo) named Aguata 2 as the constituency he is contesting,” Ijeri said.
In contrast to the attorneys for the second through fourth defendants, Ijeri contended that his clients had established a cause of action and that the court had jurisdiction to decide the matter.
“The cause of action in a pre-election matter, by the provision of Section 285(9) of the Constitution, is determined by the date of the occurrence of the event, a decision or action complained about in the suit by the plaintiff.
