A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday ordered the Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission to state why the party’s governorship primary should be held in Rivers State without the plaintiff, Farah Dagogo.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo in suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/654/2022 ordered the PDP and INEC to show cause on May 24, 2022, why Dagogo’s application seeking injunctive orders against the PDP and INEC in respect of the PDP governorship primary election in the state should not be granted.
Dagogo had filed a suit on March 12, 2022, challenging his prevention from the screening exercise of his party for the forthcoming governorship primary election having submitted all the required documents.
The presiding judge, on Monday, granted the order for INEC and PDP to show the reason why the primaries should not be stopped.
Dagogo had gone to court to seek an order of the court to restrain INEC or any of its officers or agents from monitoring the conduct of the PDP primary election for the state governorship election scheduled for May 26, 2022.
He had asked the court not to allow INEC to send any of its representatives on the fixed date without his name on the list of contestants for the forthcoming primary election pending the hearing and determination of the substantive action.
Dagogo said he was duly nominated by not less than 45 persons who are registered PDP members and voters from at least two-thirds of the local government areas within the state.
He was said to have completed and submitted the nomination form to the PDP and accompanied them with all the relevant documents, including copies of his PDP membership card, voters card, and sworn declarations made before a Commissioner of oaths at the High Court.
Dagogo stated that he abided by the guidelines and regulations made by the PDP relating to the conduct of primary elections.
He stated that his party’s primary form was issued to him by the PDP as proof that he had met all the requirements as an aspirant by the national headquarters of the party.
He said he had presented himself to the screening committee for gubernatorial aspirants in Rivers State on April 28, 2022, at the PDP Zonal Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He disclosed that while he was waiting to receive his interim clearance papers, some individuals in mufti who claimed to be Rivers State Government House security agents led by the Camp Commandant, Efeture Irikefe, removed him from the sitting arrangement with the active connivance of the membership of the screening committee, who had ensured that he was the last person to be screened.
Dagogo, however, lamented that he was whisked away to Operation Sting Police Unit/formation and later to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the state CID quickly made an attempt to arraign him on trumped-up charges at the Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt on April 29, 2022, which proved abortive.
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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
