PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar on Monday affirmed the nomination of Senator Bassey Otu as the validly nominated candidate for the 2023 general election.
The court declared Senator Bassey Otu as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State.
It could be recalled that one of the then aspirants in the May 2022 governorship primaries, Sen John Owan Enoh, had dragged the APC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Sen Otu to court over the nomination and declaration of Otu as the party candidate.
Senator Owan-Enoh, in Suit No: FHC/CA/CS/95/2022, had sought, among other prayers, the disqualification of Senator Otu, arguing that the Governorship Screening Committee of the APC had disqualified him from the race for purportedly failing to present his First School Leaving Certificate and West African Examination Council, WAEC, result during the screening.
In her ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that contrary to Senator Owan-Enoh’s postulations, facts before the court indicated that Sen Otu was validly cleared to contest the primary by the National Working Committee, (NWC) of the party after finally presenting the said certificate.
The court said the same NWC, which has the final say on clearance of aspirants, satisfied with Otu’s certificates so presented, mandated the National Organising Secretary of the party to write to and inform the Chairman of the primary election committee in Cross River over Otu’s clearance.
She submitted that “the third defendant (Senator Bassey Edet Otu) whose clearance was declared inconclusive by the screening committee was finally cleared by the NWC.”
According to her, the matter of determination of gubernatorial candidate of a political party is and still remains the right of a political party.
On whether or not Sen Owan-Enoh had the right to have taken part in the primary election since he had earlier withdrawn from the race, the court said the Senator’s withdrawal did not take away his right as a Nigerian citizen.
“A candidate contesting for the position of governor must be a Nigerian, meet the stipulated age requirement and have basic qualification according to the constitution,” she stated.
However, Senator Owan Enoh, through his counsel, Barr Jacob Abang Dakim, who stood in for the lead counsel, Away Kalu, SAN, has vowed to appeal the judgement as soon as possible.
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