The Benue State Working Committee of the Labour Party has threatened legal action against the Benue Local Government Election Petition Tribunal if it fails to reverse its judgement declaring candidates from two factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the October 5th local government election.
The state chairman Ibrahim Idoko who made the party’s decision known during a press conference in Makurdi said already they are in consultation with their team of lawyers for the next action.
Comrade Idoko explained that as a party that seeks social justice and the promotion of the rule of law, it has become necessary for it to react to the judgements delivered by the election tribunal where two factions of APC were declared winners and returned elected by the same tribunal.
According to him, “Sequel to the said election, our party raised concern over the fact that two factions of the ruling APC presented two sets of lists to Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, (BSIEC), the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman Dr. Benjamin Omale presented a list of nominated candidates from his faction as well as the Austine Agada-led faction.”
He said, “Since there was a legal battle at the High Court, Makurdi instituted by Agada led State Working Committee against the National Working Committee of the party which sought to dissolve them and constitute a caretaker committee, we immediately called on BSIEC to proceed with the elections without candidates from APC who were yet to determine the legitimate and a competent State EXCO to present lawfully nominated candidates for election, but they ignored the early warning and unilaterally accepted a list by the Dr. Omale led faction.”
“ Our party went into the elections and our candidates dutifully purchased and filled personal Bio data Forms from BSIEC and were thoroughly screened by the electoral body and also purchased BSIEC Nomination forms at the sum of N500,000 and they were nominated by voters from their respective wards in compliance with the guidelines for the conduct of the 2024 Benue State LG elections.
“It is very disturbing to hear that the Agada-led faction candidates who never purchased BSIEC nomination Forms, nor screened by BSIEC and never participated in the election will be declared winners in the election, this clearly contradicts Supreme Court authorities like C.P.P VS OMBUGADU (2013) 18 NWLR (Pt. 1385) 66 where the apex court held that a Tribunal shall not under any circumstance declare any person winner of an election where such a person has not fully participated in all stages of the election,” he added.
