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A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled out the Action Alliance (AA) from participating in the November 16, 2019 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment on Monday, held that the party has no valid candidates for the elections having failed to meet the deadlines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the submission of nomination forms and list of candidates.
Justice Ekwo found that AA failed the 6pm, September 9, 2019 deadline set by INEC for all political parties to submit their nomination forms and candidates list.
The judge was of the view that the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence that they were on the premises of INEC or attempted to submit their forms before 6pm on September 9, 2019.
He said: “I hold that their case lacks merit. The first plaintiff (AA) having not complied with the guidelines and regulations of INEC that it must submit its candidates’ nomination forms on or before 6pm on September 9, 2019 is ineligible to field candidates in the November 2019 governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa states”.
The judgment was on the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1100/19 filed by those who claimed to be the governorship candidates of the AA in Bayesa and Kogi – Ebi Peretiemo and Samuel Alfa.
Peretiemo and Alfa had claimed to have complied with the necessary regulations, and argued that, having complied with the provisions of 85(1) to (2) and Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act, INEC could not have validly rejected their nomination as candidates for the forthcoming elections.
The plaintiffs said they were at the INEC headquarters of INEC on September 9, 2019 to submit Forms CF.001 and CF.002, among other nomination forms for the two candidates.
They said they were given tag number 15, but an INEC official in charge of the collection of the forms refused to accept their forms when it got their turn.
