Court Refuses Agabso’s Request To Stop Obiano As APGA candidate

Martin Agbaso has suffered setback in his bid to stop Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State from contesting the November 18 governorship election on the party’s platform.

A Federal High Court in Abuja rejected his prayer for an injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Obiano as APGA’s governorship candidate for the election.

Justice John Tsoho, in an ex-parte ruling on October 25 this year, also declined Agbaso’s prayer for an injucntion restraining Obiano from parading himself as the candidate of APGA for the election.

The ruling was on a motion ex-parte filed On September 28 this year by Agbaso in a suit suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/913/2017.

The suit has Agbaso and APGA as plaintiffs, with INEC and Obiano as defendants.

Agbaso had sought five reliefs in the motion ex-parte, from which the court  granted three

The court granted the first, second and fifth reliefs, but rejected the third and fourth refliefs.

The court granted an order abridging time from 30 days to 10 within which  the defendants are to enter appearance to defend the suit

It also granted an order of substituted service of copies of court processes on the 2nd defendant (Obiano) through substituted service by publishing them in a national daily and pasting on the walls of Anambra State liaison office in Abuja and the state’s Governor’s lodge.

The third relief granted was an order for accelerated hearing of the suit.

The reliefs declined by the court are:

•An order of injunction restraining the 1st defendant (INEC) from recognising the 2nd defendant as the gubernatorial candidate of the 2nd plaintiff (APGA) in the governorship election of November 18 in Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

•An order of interim injunction directing the 2nd defendant from parading or representing himself as the gubernatorial candidate of the 2nd plaintiff in the forthcoming election of 18th November 2017 in Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice

Justice Tsoho adjourned to November 9 for further proceedings in the case.

Credit: TheNation