Court Sacks Owan-Enoh As APC Governorship Candidate In Cross River State

Court Sacks Owan-Enoh As APC Governorship Candidate In Cross River State

A
Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sacked
Senator John Owan Enoh as the governorship candidate of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.  

The court also sacked the factional leadership of the party
under John Ochalla, which is loyal to Owan-Enoh. Apart from removing
Senator Enoh and Ochalla, the court rejected other candidates of the
party currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).  

In a two-hour judgment, Justice Simon Amobeda, ordered that Usani
Usani, be recognised as the legitimate candidate of the party. He also
ordered that “INEC should only receive and accept the names and
candidates for the 2019 elections that emerged from the lawful executive
led by Godwin Etim John”.  

Justice Amobeda also ordered that persons parading themselves as the
executive members of the APC in the state should forthwith cease to do
so, ruling that the lawful executive of APC in Cross River remains that
which is led by Godwin Etim John.  

“The judgment clearly is in support of the rule of law as it also
supports the yearning of the common man,” counsel to the claimants, Ayei
Okpa, told journalists after the judgement. “Once a judgment is
delivered in a court of law, everyone affected by that judgment is
supposed and ought to comply with the said judgment and that is what
this court today, has confirmed”.  

Okpa added that INEC is to use and publish only the names that
emerged from the lawful executive and not any other name that emerged
from any other executive in Cross River State APC.

According to him, the court has every power under its disciplinary
jurisdiction to undo what has been done unlawfully and the Electoral Act
commands INEC to obey court orders. “INEC has every reason to comply
with that order, what INEC did by publishing unlawful names is
unlawful,” he said.