Politics
JUST IN: Supreme Court declares Odii as PDP governorship candidate in Ebonyi
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as the validly elected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State.
The apex court delivered the verdict in its ruling on an appeal filed by Odii on the PDP governorship ticket.
Odii and Senator Obinna Ogba had been locked in a legal battle on the right to represent the major opposition party in the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi.
The Federal High Court, Abakaliki, had in June declared the former as PDP governorship candidate in the state.
However, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on June 19 set aside the ruling and pronounced Ogba as the party’s duly elected candidate.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Odii approached the Supreme Court to overturn the verdict.
Read also:Supreme Court robbed Ihedioha of mandate in 2020 – Dogara
At Wednesday’s proceeding, a five member panel of the apex court held that Ogba, who is representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, lacked the right to file the appeal in the appellate court.
Justice Lawal Garba, who delivered the lead judgment, said the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have entertained the suit in the first instance since Ogba was not a party in the entire proceedings conducted by the lower court.
The judge said that the entire proceedings conducted by the appellant court were without jurisdiction.
He described it as an exercise in futility.
Garba said: “You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand; it will definitely collapse.”
The judge, therefore, said he found merit in the appeal filed by Odii and was upheld
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