Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed May 8, 2024 for the hearing of the suit seeking the removal of the nomination of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Edo State governorship election slated for September 21, 2024.
The court fixed the date after it was told that Okpebholo is yet to be served with the process.
The suit was filed by one of the contestants in the primary election, Hon. Anamero Dekeri.
In the suit, he claimed that he won the February 17, 2024 APC primary election.
Following the outcome of the rescheduled Edo State APC governorship primary elections that saw the declaration of Okpebholo, as the winner of the election, Dekeri approached the court seeking an order nullifying the nomination of the senator as the APC candidate for the election and also prayed the court to order INEC not to allow APC submit the name of Okpebholo as its candidate.
He based his argument on the grounds that he won the election first conducted on February 17, 2024.
When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, counsel to INEC was absent from court while Senator Okpebholo informed the court that he has not been served with the process, he then asked for an adjournment to enable him get the process and respond appropriately.
But counsel to Hon Dekeri, Henry Akunebu (SAN), asked for an abridgment of time in line with the practice direction of the court, insisting that the matter is a pre-election matter which is time bound.
After listening to parties in the matter, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter to May 8 and ordered that the process be served on all the parties.
