Rivers PDP drags APC, Accord, SDP and Labour Party to Court, Demands Disqualification from 2023 Election.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to Court seeking the disqualification of all National and State Assembly Candidates of the All Progressives Congress APC from 2023 elections alleging that APC did not comply with the new Electoral Act of 2022 during the conduct of its primaries that led to the election of the candidates.

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However, one of the APC candidates and a Lawyer, Ezekiel-Amadi Ezemonye, appearing for himself and the 12 defendants announced that he had filed a petition at the Federal High Court Administrative Judge against the presiding Judge, Justice Stephen Daylop-Pam.

Amadi Ezemonye who is the APC Candidate for Ikwerre-Emohua Federal Constituency, Ezekiel expressed fear that members of his party may not get justice from the Judge over what he alleged to be the Judge’s antecedents.

The PDP wants the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to disqualify all the APC National Assembly Candidates for alleged non-compliance to 2022 Electoral Act.

The PDP also alleged that the APC did not allow INEC to monitor its party primaries as required by the Electoral Act.

After listening to Counsels of PDP, and INEC asking for extension of time to respond to the processes adjourned the case to August 29,2022 for the resolution on the petition.

The PDP had also dragged INEC to Court, seeking the disqualification of the Governorship candidate of Accord Party, Dumo Lulu Briggs, and Social Democratic SDP before Justice Stephen Daylop-Pam on a similar allegation of the non-compliance to the Electoral Act.

In reaction, The Governorship candidate of Accord Party Dumo Lulu Briggs described the action as Evil stating that using the court you disenfranchise Rivers People won’t work this time that PDP lacks the locus standi to challenge how another party’s primary was conducted.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Stephen Daylip-Pam, granted PDP’s request to adjourn.

The matter was therefore adjourned till July 29 for a hearing of the main suit and the preliminary objections raised by the Accord Party.

Labour party was also said to have been dragged to court according to reports.