The scheduled hearing of a suit seeking the disqualification of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in the forthcoming September 19 election in Edo State, was impeded on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The suit which was filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), alleged that Ize-Iyamu was not validly nominated as the candidate of the APC.
The PDP alleged that the APC candidate did not emerge from a valid primary election.
The suit has Ize-Iyamu, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as respondents.
However, at the mention of the case before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Tuesday, PDP’s counsel, Mr. Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), said he was ready for the hearing in the case until he was served a notice of preliminary objection by the APC, which he needed to respond to.
INEC’s counsel, Mr Alhassan Umar (SAN), and Ize-Iyamu’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said they would also want to respond to the preliminary objection.
The APC on the other hand has sought an order for striking out the suit in the notice of preliminary objection.
Among other grounds, the application was predicated upon the claim that the suit cannot be heard during the court’s vacation period.
The suit was earlier filed at the Benin Division of the court but was later moved to the Abuja Division.
