A Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the nomination of the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue State, Chief Idu Christopher Onyiloyi.

In a judgment on Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered that Onyiloyi be replaced with the plaintiff, Ochechi Godwin Adejor.

Justice Ekwo held that Onyiloyi, having voluntarily withdrawn as the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate and deposed to an affidavit to that effect, ceased in law, to retain the same status.

The judge said he found, as a fact, that Onyiloyi wrote personally to the LP intimating it of his withdrawal, and that he proceeded to give his withdrawal legal backing by deposing to a court affidavit as evidence of his withdrawal.

The Judge invoked sections 221, 222 of the 1999 Constitution and sections 29, 31, 32, 33 and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 in declaring that the LP is under obligation to remove Onyiloyi and replace him with Adejor as its Deputy Governorship candidate following his voluntarily withdrawal.

Justice Ekwo ordered the LP to immediately forward Adejor’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for publication as its lawful Deputy Governorship candidate.

The judgment was on the suit marked: to FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2022 with the LP, INEC and Onyiloyi listed as defendants.

Justice Ekwo, in the judgment on Wednesday, issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from accepting any name other than that of the plaintiff as the Deputy Governorship candidate.

The judge restrained Onyiloyi from further parading himself as LP’s Deputy Governorship candidate in Benue.

He also restrained the LP from according any recognition to Onyiloyi as its Deputy Governorship candidate.

Source: The Nation