Appeals court upholds nomination of Kwara APC governorship candidate

Court of Appeal has upheld the nomination of Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, setting aside an earlier ruling by the state High Court.

The Appeal Court, on Tuesday, also held that state high courts lack powers to entertain any suit against the INEC.

In a unanimous decision on the interlocutory appeals filed by the APC, Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, who read the ruling, the court said the originating summons by the Balogun-Fulani’s faction was not sealed by the registry and that robs the court of jurisdiction.

He upheld all the four grounds of appeal filed by the APC and set aside the ruling of the Kwara State High Court which was given on October 24, 2018.

The court said the nomination of AbdulRazaq by the APC National Working Committee was in order.

ALSO READ: Buhari’s visit: Factional Kwara APC asks Buhari to present flags to its candidates

It said a state executive committee of a party is just a branch of its national headquarters and so has no power or right to conduct any primaries to the offices of the president, governor, National Assembly or State Assembly positions.

The appeals court also slammed the Kwara High Court for entertaining a suit against the INEC on the matter since it has no jurisdiction on the matter.

The court upheld the four grounds of appeals and said the case of the Ishola Balogun-Fulani was defective in all ramifications because the originating summons was incurably detective.

By the ruling, the dissolution of the Ishola Balogun-led APC Executive in Kwara State by the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Executive Committee now stands.