Two members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have pleaded with a High Court in Abuja to disqualify the party’s governorship candidate in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman-Ododo, and other public office holders who participated in the 11 April primary election without resigning from their positions.
Mr Usman-Ododo, the Auditor-General for Local Government Areas in the state, backed by the state governor, Yahaya Bello, won the primary election, after other major contenders in the race for the party’s ticket withdrew for him.
Realwan Akpanachi and Yahaya Seidu-Nuhu, in an originating Summons filed by their counsel, Promise Ogbodu, sued six of the contestants as 1st – 6th defendants.
The 1st – 6th defendants include Mr Usman-Ododo, and others who withdrew from the race for him.
They are Abdulkareem Jamiu (Chief of Staff), Jibril Momoh (Account-General), Yakubu Okala (Auditor-General), Asiwaju Idris (Finance Commissioner), Salami Ozigi (Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs) and Mr Usman-Ododo (Auditor-General for Local Government Areas).
Other defendants are the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 7th and the 8th defendants respectively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court had directed that a notice of hearing be served on all the respondents for them to appear on April 27 for the hearing.
The plaintiffs are alleging violation of the Electoral Act 2022 and the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria in the primary election.
They claimed that the first six defendants were still political appointees/public servants at the time they contested the governorship primary election of 11 April.
They asked the court to determine whether the 1st – 6th defendants “being political appointees/public officers currently in the service of the Kogi Government, can validly participate in the convention or congress of the