The Court of Appeal yesterday affirmed Mr Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the forthcoming election.
In a unanimous decision, the appellate court struck out the appeal challenging Obi’s candidacy and awarded N200,000 each in favour of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the LP.
The court held that the appellant who also filed a suit at the lower court has no locus standi to institute the action.
Justice Ugockwu Ogakwu who led the three-member panel in the judgment held that the trial court was right in its decision.
The appellant had contended that Obi was not qualified by the circumstance of his emergence as a candidate for the LP.
The first respondent in the suit marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1414/2022I is Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the LP is the second. The presidential candidate of the LP is the third respondent, while the appellant is the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had first dismissed the suit seeking disqualification of Obi.
The APM had approached the trial court for an injunction restraining the first defendant from acting on, or giving effect to, or in any way or manner, dealing with the name of Obi as the candidate of the LP in the forthcoming election.
In his judgment, Justice James Omotosho dismissed the suit for the failure of the plaintiff to provide sufficient evidence to grant the request.