The Supreme Court of Nigeria has disqualified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from presenting any candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District over inability to comply with the electoral law.
It ruled that PDP could not conduct an authentic primary election that would afford the party to present a duly elected candidate for the upcoming poll.
The court held that the primary being brandished by the PDP which produced Jones Onyerere was conducted in variance with sections of the country’s 2022 electoral act which mandated that the primary for any poll should be held with the constituency.
In a judgement delivered on Friday, the apex court nullified the primary election on the ground that it was conducted in Owerri, the Imo State Capital, instead of Orlu which is the Senatorial Headquarters of Imo West.
Delivering judgement on the appeal filed before the court by Nnamdi Ezeani, Justice Emmanuel Agim explained that the PDP violated section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act by conducting the primary election outside the venue clearly stipulated by law.
The apex court held that by the judgment, PDP would not participate in the next month’s senatorial election having failed to produce its candidate within the time stipulated by law.
Justice Agim held that since the time for the conduct of the primary election to nominate candidates was already over, it is deemed that the party would not have a candidate in the February 25 National Assembly poll.
Meanwhile, he warned the parties to always conduct their affairs within the ambit of the law adding that section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act is clear on where primary election should be conducted.
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