The Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, on Monday sacked the state executive committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Jones Erue as chairman.
The court, presided over by Justice T.B. Adegoke, held that Cyril Ogodo is the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
The court also declared as void the participation of Great Ogboru as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2019 election.
The court also held that the ward and local government executives of the APC under the Erue-led state executive is null and void.
It further held that all actions purportedly taken be Erue as state chairman are also null and void, just as it voided the emergence of candidates for the 2019 general election from the primaries conducted by Erue-led executive.
In suit number FA/ASA/CS/76/2018, the plaintiffs had sought 13 reliefs among which is a declaration that the Ogodo-led executive committee is the authentic state executive of the party.
Among other prayers sought by the plaintiffs, was a declaration that candidates that emerged from the primaries conducted by the Ogodo-led executive are the authentic list of candidates for the 2019 general election.
The court in the judgment granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.
As a result, the re-election of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has been affected by the judgment as he emerged from the primary conducted by Erue-led executive.
Other candidates affected by the judgment include the state governorship candidate, Great Ogboru, the senatorial candidate for Delta South senatorial district and immediate past governor of the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan, among others.
Prof Pat Utomi, Olorogun Otega Emerhor, Olorogun Ima Rume Niboro and others were upheld as the authentic candidates of the party in the just concluded elections.
By interpretation, Olorogun Emerhor and Niboro are Senators-elect and House of Representatives-elect, since the party won those seats.
But counsel to the defendants, Okubor Nwachukwu said they would go to the court of appeal to challenge the judgment, expressing hope that the judgment would be upturned at the appellate court.
