Court fixes Nov 10 for judgment in suit seeking to disqualify Stella Oduah as PDP senatorial candidate

A federal high court in Abuja has fixed November 30 for judgment in a suit challenging the nomination of Stella Oduah as a senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra.

Oduah, who has been the senator representing Anambra north since 2015, won the party’s primary held on May 27.

However, not satisfied with the outcome, John Emeka, an aspirant in the senatorial primary, sued Oduah, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as first to third defendants, respectively.

Emeka alleged that Oduah lied on oath in both her expression of interest and nomination forms, including in the INEC form CF001 which she submitted to the commission.

In the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/841/2022 dated and filed on June 8 by his lawyer, Mbanefo Ikwegbue, Emeka prayed the court to declare that the information supplied by Oduah in her INEC form CF001, with respect to her participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, was false.

He claimed that while testifying under oath, the senator utilised the same information to run for office to represent Anambra north senatorial district in the 2015 and 2019 elections.

According to him, the act contravenes sections 12(1)(a)(b)(c) and 13(1)(a) of the NYSC Act.

He asked the court to rule that Oduah was ineligible to have run in the aforementioned elections and/or any other election to the senate as a result of the “false information” provided in her INEC form CF001 regarding her participation in the NYSC scheme.

Emeka, therefore, sought an order nullifying the senator’s participation in the PDP’s primary held on May 27 for the 2023 senatorial district seat in the national assembly.

He prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the party from presenting her to INEC as its candidate for the forthcoming poll.

The aspirant also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from accepting her name as PDP’s candidate for the 2023 poll for the senatorial district.

He further prayed the court to declare him the valid candidate of the PDP for the 2023 general election, having participated in the party’s primary held on May 27.

After listening to lawyers in the suit on Thursday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, fixed November 30 for judgment.