The Court of Appeal on Wednesday dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify Olumide Akpata as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the September 21 election in Edo State.

The appellate court held that the suit instituted by an aggrieved governorship aspirant, Kenneth Imasuangbon, lacked cogent and verifiable evidence in the allegations against Mr Akpata.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Okon Abang, the court held among others that Mr Imasuangbon failed to explore the inter-conflict resolution mechanism of the Labour Party before rushing to Court.

To this end, the court held that his case was premature in law and cannot be entertained on the ground that conditions precedents were not met.

The unanimous judgment of the three-member panel also held that the appellant failed to tender the disputed results of the February 23 primary election of the party which he claimed to have won.

Justice Abang held that the claim of Mr Imasuangbon that he was not given official results by the Labour Party cannot hold waters because he had his agent at the primary election.

The court further held that the appellant did not call as witness, a single delegate from those he claimed voted for him at the primary election.

The court added that Mr Imansuangbon’s allegations that Akpata did not sign the Indemnity Form were statute-barred and therefore lacked jurisdiction.

The appellate court therefore upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Benin City delivered by Justice Babatunde Quadiri, which had earlier dismissed Mr Imasuangbon’s suit for want of merit.

Mr Imasuangbon had in the suit prayed that Mr Akpata be disqualified as the Labour Party governorship candidate on the allegations that he was not qualified to have participated in the poll.

He asked for an order of the court compelling the Labour Party to withdraw the candidacy of Mr Akpata and submit his own name as the right candidate having come second in the primary election.

(NAN)