The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the judgment of a High Court in Port Harcourt which barred the party from conducting any primaries in the state to nominate candidates to represent the party in the forthcoming election.
Ruling on a preliminary objection raised by the respondents, Ibrahim Umah and 22 other aggrieved members of the APC, Justice Aliyu Sanusi, in a lead judgement, said there was substance in the objection raised by the respondent.
Consequently, the preliminary objection having been upheld, “the appeal is struck out”.
In a unanimous decision, the court agreed with the respondents that the suit from which the trial court entered a judgment barring the APC from holding primaries was an election matter which the court had jurisdiction to entertain.
Justice Sanusi stated that reasons for striking out the appeal would be given on a date to be announced to parties.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had taken arguments from the counsel for the appellant, Lateef Fagbemi, and counsel for the respondents, Henry Bello, and said at the end of the sitting that it would deliver judgment today and give reasons at a later date. Read more