The Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 struck out an appeal filed by the APC challenging the judgment of a High Court in Rivers State which barred the party from conducting any primaries in the state to nominate candidates to represent the party in the forth coming election.
Ruling on a preliminary objection raised by the respondents, Ibrahim Umah and 22 other aggrieved members of the APC, Justice Aliyu Sanusi, in a lead judgement, said there was substance in the objection raised by the respondent.
Consequently, the preliminary objection having been upheld, “the appeal is struck out”.
In a unanimous decision, the court agreed with the respondents that the suit from which the trial court entered a judgment barring the APC from holding primaries was an election matter which the court had jurisdiction to entertain.
Justice Sanusi stated that reasons for striking out the appeal would be given on a date to be announced to parties.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had taken arguments from parties in the suit and said at the end of the sitting that it would deliver judgment today and give reasons at a later date.
Details later…
