Court to hear injunction against Kogi APC indirect primary

The Federal High Court Abuja will today hear the petition filed by four delegates in the forthcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Kogi state against the adoption of the indirect method for the selection of the party candidate in the November 16 governorship election.

The petitioners are challenging the decision of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to conduct an indirect election for the selection of its governorship candidate.

The applicants, in an exparte order with file number: CS/833/19 brought before the vacation judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, include Destiny Aromeh (1st plaintiff), Isa Abubakar, Noah Aku and Joy Onu.
The APC, which scheduled primary poll for August 29, is the defendant in the case.

The APC had, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, adopted the indirect primary to pick its candidate for the election in Kogi.

The party’s NWC at a meeting held on July 5, said it deliberated on the matter after received formal request from the Kogi state executive and stakeholders in preference for the indirect primary.

The indirect election involves a representative poll where delegates, usually party officials at state and local levels, as well as top political office holders, vote for their preferred candidates on behalf of other party members.

Counsel to the applicants, Oluwole Aladedoye, told Justice Taiwo that the planned indirect election was a move to shut out his clients from participating in the poll.

Aladedoye said that the plaintiffs were members of the State Executive Committee for the poll, which is scheduled to take place on Aug. 29.

”They are elected state executive members of the defendant (APC) in 2018. They emerged as elected.
”After the election, the governor set up a parallel EXCO, excluding the plaintiffs from participating in the nomination and the matter is still pending before Justice Okon Abang of this same court,” he said.

According to him, they have two applications that we crave the indulgence of the court to attend to.

Justice Taiwo, after listening to the counsel, asked him to appear today to enable him study the application.