Labour Party Land In Big Trouble As Businessman, Imasuen Drag Them To Court Over Illegal Substitution Of Name As House Of Reps Candidate In Edo, Asks Electoral Body, INEC To Reject APC Defector
The winner of the Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon federal constituency primary election of the Labour Party, Murphy Imasuen has sued the party, former House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon. Uyinmwen Ativie and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Imasuen filed the suit in the Federal High Court in Benin, accusing the defendants of refusing to publish his name for the 2023 general election after winning the party’s primary election.
Imasuen had emerged the winner of the primary election of the federal constituency supervised by INEC officials.
Rather than submit the name of the elected candidate, the name of Ativie who recently joined the party from the ruling All Progressives Congress was submitted to the electoral body by Labour Party leadership, led by its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.
The action is against the provisions of Section 33 of the 2022 Electoral Act which states that a political party cannot remove or substitute a candidate that emerged from a valid primary.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd Defendant from recognizing the 1st Defendant or any other person other than Plaintiff as the 2nd Defendant’s candidate for election of member representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency at the election scheduled for 25th February, 2023.
“An order directing the 3rd Defendant to restore the Plaintiff’s name as the 2nd Defendant’s candidate for the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency election scheduled for the 25th of February, 2023.”
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