A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned hearing on the substantive suit seeking the disqualification of Hon. Martins Oke, a House of Representatives candidate for the Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency.
Oke is a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, in the upcoming election.
The plaintiffs, Chief Samuel Ekwueme and the All Progressives Congress, APC, are contesting his candidacy on the grounds that he did not emerge in accordance with the relevant laws.
The PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, are also named as defendants.
The plaintiffs claimed that the PDP primary election that produced the current lawmaker violated Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act.
The Electoral Act required the PDP to submit its membership register to INEC no later than 30 days before its primary election.
The presiding Judge, Hon Justice J. B. Omotosho, asked the defendants’ counsels to file all of their defenses on time so that the plaintiff’s counsel, Chief Chukwudi Igwe, could respond before the adjourned date.
The Judge warned that he did not want any further delay in the case, adding that the matter would be adjourned for judgement after the hearing on February 10th, 2023.
