A frontline aspirant under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Honourable Joseph Egene, has filed a suit before a Kogi State High Court to challenge the primary election that was organized by the Party for Okura Constituency seat in the Kogi State House of Assembly in the next general election.
Recall that the PDP was to conduct its primary election for the aspirants who are vying to be elected as Member representing Okura Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly in the 2023 election. The said primary election was scheduled to take place in Egume, the headquarters of Okura Constituency on 22nd May, 2022.
One Honourable Godwin Meliga was reportedly declared winner of the Party’s primary election for the Constituency but such declaration was rejected by his opponent, Honourable Joseph Egene, who insisted that no primary election actually took place on the scheduled date due to violence and snatching of ballot box and other voting materials by invading thugs.
It was gathered that a complaint letter was written by Honourable Joseph Egene to the PDP Appeal Committee over what transpired during the scheduled primary election but same did not yield any positive result.
In a suit marked AYHC/13/2022, which was sighted by our correspondent, the Claimant, through his Lawyer, S.O. Akobe, Esq., amongst other reliefs, is praying the Court to void the purported declaration of Godwin Meliga as the PDP’s flag bearer for Okura Constituency Seat in the Kogi State House of Assembly in the next general election.
In the suit which has PDP, Godwin Meliga and the Independent National Electoral Commission as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents respectively, the Claimant also prayed the Court to declare that the PDP has not conducted a valid primary election in line with the extant laws and INEC Regulations, and to perpetually restrain PDP from presenting, and INEC from accepting, the name of Godwin Meliga as the flagbearer of the Party for the 2023 general election for Kogi State House of Assembly, Okura Constituency.
