The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suffered another legal defeat in its ongoing efforts to disqualify Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, from the forthcoming Edo State governorship race.
The APC had lodged a case at the Federal High Court in Abuja, aiming to have Ighodalo disqualified from the race.
However, on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the lawsuit, siding with Chief Akinlolu Kehinde, Ighodalo’s counsel, who argued that the case was without substance and did not hold any legal merit.
Justice Lifu’s ruling also rejected the APC’s effort to rely on an earlier court decision that had raised concerns over the legitimacy of the PDP primary election that nominated Ighodalo.
The APC had attempted to use this previous ruling as grounds for disqualification, but the court found no justification in their argument.
The previous judgment, delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo on July 4, had questioned the exclusion of 378 delegates from the PDP primary election on February 22.
Although this ruling did not outright invalidate the primary, the APC saw it as an opportunity to challenge Ighodalo’s eligibility.
However, in this latest case (THC/ABJ/CS/165/2024), Justice Lifu ruled that the Federal High Court does not have the jurisdiction to review its own earlier judgments, indicating that the APC’s efforts were unwarranted.
Additionally, Justice Lifu made it clear that the APC had no legal standing to interfere in the internal matters of the PDP, describing their actions as an unnecessary intervention.
Moreover, the argument presented by Kehinde SAN, highlighting that the earlier judgment had already been overturned by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, further weakened the APC’s case.
With the case dismissed for lack of merit, Ighodalo’s candidacy remains intact. The APC had filed the suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Asue Ighodalo, and the PDP, listing them as the first to third defendants.