A Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the nomination of Abdulghani Arobo as the House of Representatives candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in Ondo State.
In a judgment yesterday, Justice Peter Lifu held that Arobo was the actual winner of APC’s primary election, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast in the shadow poll.
Justice Lifu said upon the summation of the votes cast at the 23 wards in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency during the APC primary election on May 16, Arobo was entitled to be declared the lawful winner.
The judgment was on the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/26 with which Arobo questioned, among others, the manner the APC handled the primary election and sought to be declared the actual winner.
The judge said based on Arobo’s victory, he ought to be nominated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as APC’s House of Representatives candidate for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in the next general election.
Justice Lifu ordered APC and INEC to ‘forthwith, recognise, accept, relate and deal with only the plaintiff (Arobo) as the winner of the primary election conducted on May 16 with 7,959, votes in Owo Local Government and 2,583 votes in Ose Local Government.
The judge voided any other declaration or purported declaration, return of nomination by APC other than the name of the plaintiff, who he said, won and scored the highest lawful votes at the election.
Justice Lifu proceeded to resolve all the questions formulated by Arobo for the court’s determination in favour of the plaintiff.
The judge ordered that the plaintiff’s name be forwarded to INEC as the candidate of the APC for the House of Representatives election for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency of Ondo State.
He equally ordered the defendants to deal only with the plaintiff as the winner of the said election, while restraining the defendants from recognising or dealing with any other person apart from the plaintiff, having won the primary election.
Justice Lifu further ordered INEC to re-open its portal for the purpose of uploading the plaintiff’s name as the lawful winner of the primary election for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency.