A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the removal of Abdullahi Ganduje as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the judgment delivered on Monday, Inyang Ekwo, presiding judge, held that the suit was premature and the issues raised were within the purview of the internal affairs of the political party.

Ekwo held that the group failed to show credible evidence that it was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and therefore lacked the locus to have instituted the suit.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga, queried the propriety of Ganduje’s appointment as the chair of the party since he is not from any state in the north-central geopolitical zone.

They argued that the national executive committee (NEC) of the APC breached the party’s constitution when it appointed Ganduje, from Kano state in the north-west geopolitical zone, to replace Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa state in the north-central geopolitical zone.

It also argued that Ganduje’s appointment to replace Abdullahi was contrary to Article 31.5(1F) of the APC constitution and ultra vires the powers of the NEC of the party, among other reliefs.

The plaintiff prayed the court to, among others, restrain Ganduje from further parading himself as chair of the APC.

Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of Edo, says he has been over the moon since the electoral umpire declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the gubernatorial poll.

On Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the APC winner of the governorship election conducted on September 21.

Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 247,274 votes.

Shaibu taunted Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, for losing his LGA to the APC.

Shaibu was impeached as deputy governor of Edo in April 2024 after falling out with Obaseki.

In July, a federal high court in Abuja nullified the impeachment. James Omotosho, the presiding judge, held that Shaibu’s ouster violated the provisions of the law.

Shaibu defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) afterwards.

‘I HAVE BEEN VINDICATED’

Shaibu is from Etsako west LGA. The APC scored 32,107 in the LGA while the PDP secured 17,483 votes. Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, is also from Etsako west.

Okpebholo won Oredo LGA with 30,780 votes. Obaseki hails from Oredo LGA.

Asue Ighodalo, PDP governorship candidate, secured 24,938 votes, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party got 5,389 votes in Oredo.

“I really feel vindicated and I thank God for it. I am so excited and I am happy that I am counted among the numbers of persons that helped APC to regain government house in Edo state. I am so excited,” he said.

“Not only that I am excited, I have also cancelled that negative impression and blackmail that have been flying that Philip Shaibu does not win his ward. It’s a lie.

“I have never lost my ward. I have never lost my unit. I have always won it. And in the local government, you can see. So, those that have been blackmailing, they can see.

“Even the governor could not win his local government. I won my unit which is number one now in the state. I won my ward and local government. I took first from my unit to ward and to the local government.”

OBASEKI REMOVED THE LADDER THAT HELPED HIM’

Shaibu claimed that the PDP lost the election because Obaseki sidelined key members of the party ahead of the governorship election.

“Where is the governor’s result? He has never won. We have always assisted him. But unfortunately, he got the power and he started kicking us and removing the ladder,” Shaibu said.

“It is very unfortunate. I hope he learns his lessons. And what is left for him now is to go back and start begging and apologising to people of Edo state. He has a lot of them that he needs to apologise to.

“We were 10 (persons) that contested the primary, and out of the 10, he told us to go to hell. The last time I counted, it was 618 key leaders that left PDP for APC.”

Monday Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared the winner of the Edo state governorship election.

Farouk Adamu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, announced the results in Benin City, the Edo state capital, on Sunday.

“I, Prof. Faruq Adamu Kuta, certify that I’m the returning officer for the Edo state governorship election held on September 21, 2024,” he said.

“That Monday Okpebholo of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election and returned elected.”

Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled. 247,274 votes.

Olumide Akpata, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), came a distant third with 22, 763 votes.

The APC won the election in 11 out of the 18 LGAs in Edo while the PDP secured victories in the remaining seven LGAs.

The off-cycle election in the south-south state was contested by 17 candidates.

Prior to the final declaration, some PDP supporters had staged a protest against the collation of the election results.

The demonstration took place near the INEC headquarters where the results were collated.

During the collation exercise, Tony Iyoha, a PDP agent at the collation centre, alleged electoral fraud, claiming that some results were “manufactured” in favour of the APC.