Court sacks Benue LP’s deputy guber candidate — days to election

A federal high court in Abuja has removed Idu Onyiloyi as the deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue.

The development comes barely four days before the governorship election in Nigeria.

Confirming the development to TheCable, Kenken Ati, LP spokesperson in the state, said the court sacked the deputy governorship candidate on Wednesday.

“It is very correct. It is also very correct that the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to put the name of  Ochechi Adejor as the Benue deputy governorship candidate,” Ati said.

The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2022 was said to have been instituted by Adejor who has now been named as a replacement.

While delivering judgement,  Edem Ekwo, the presiding judge, held that Onyiloyi would no longer be recognised as the deputy governorship candidate of the party having voluntarily withdrawn from the position.

Onyiloyi was said to have written to the LP on the withdrawal of his candidacy and had also presented a court affidavit as evidence.

The judge declared Adejor as the new deputy governorship candidate of the party in the state.

The court restricted Onyiloyi from parading himself as the LP deputy governorship candidate and asked INEC to publish the name of the new candidate.

The judge was said to have cited sections 221, and 222 of the 1999 constitution and sections 29, 31, 32, 33, and 84 of the electoral act 2022 and ordered the LP to forward the name of Ochechi Adejor to INEC.

The judge further asked INEC to publish Adejor’s name as the lawful deputy gubernatorial candidate of the state.