BREAKING: Court Nullifies Alex Otti’s Candidature, Other Labour Party Candidates in Abia, Kano
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
A Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice M N Yunusa, has invalidated the candidacy of Dr. Alex Otti, the Governor-elect of Abia State, and all Labour Party candidates in Abia and Kano States.
The court determined that their emergence as candidates did not align with the provisions of the 2022 electoral act.
In Suit No FHC/KN/CS/107/2023, filed by ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the court ruled that the Labour Party’s failure to submit its membership register to INEC within the stipulated 30-day period prior to their primaries rendered the entire process invalid.
According to the judge, “A party that has not complied with the provisions of the electoral act cannot be deemed to have a candidate in an election and cannot be declared the winner. Consequently, the votes attributed to the first defendant [Labour Party] are considered wasted votes.”
