December 15, (THEWILL) – The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday, upturned a judgement of the Federal High Court, which disqualified all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from participating in the 2023 general elections in the State.
The Federal High Court, presided over by Hon. Justice Emmanuel Obile, had nullified all the primaries conducted by the APC in the state.
Ruling in a suit brought against the APC by Bernard Mikko and four others, Justice Obile ruled that the party’s candidates in the 2023 elections, including its governorship candidate, Patrick Tonye-Cole, cannot participate in the election.
The court held that the party did not follow due process in electing delegates that voted for the candidates during the party’s primaries.
While ruling on an appeal filed by the APC against the decision of the lower court, the appellate court on Thursday, set aside the judgement and cleared the APC and its candidates in Rivers, as eligible candidates for the 2023 elections.
