Tony John, Port Harcourt
A federal high court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, sacked Mr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party (AP) for the 2019 governorship election on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
The court declared that Mr. Precious Baridoo, who was duly nominated during the October 4, 2018, AP primary, was the authentic candidate of the party.
Justice Emmanuel Obile of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, declared thatLulu-Briggs could not participate in the governorship election because he was not duly nominated at the party’s primary.
Obile stated that Lulu-Briggs did not participate in the primary, hence he could not be the AP candidate.
The court averred that the defendants failed to challenge the affidavit of the plaintiff to controvert the facts contained therein.
Obile ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the name of Lulu-Briggs as the governorship candidate for AP and list the Baridoo as the candidate of the party in Rivers.
Baridoo told the court that he was duly nominated during the party’s governorship primary on October 4, 2018, before he was illegally substituted with Lulu-Briggs, who he alleged did not participate in the party’s governorship primaries.
He stated that Lulu-Briggs could not claimed to be the governorship candidate of AP, when he was not even a member of the party.
Counsel to Baridoo, Mr. Wori Wori, described the judgement as victory for democracy. He said that the rules of political engagement must be respected.
However, the lawyer to Lulu-Briggs stated that they would challenge the judgement at the Court of Appeal.