Benue PDP Drags APC Guber Candidate Before The Fed.High Court.

The PDP in Benue State had filed a motion of exparte before the court, for a substituted service, seeking the court to grant it leave to serve Chief Samuel Ortom summons.

Lawyer to PDP, Mr Andrew Wombo who is challenging the eligibility of Ortom to contest the governorship race in Benue State,has also alleged that Ortom has resisted to be served the summons of the challenge of his nomination as flag bearer of the opposition party. The case was, however, adjourned till 26th February, 2015 for mention.

See the Court suit

But Ortom in a swift reaction stated yesterday that he did not in any way resist any move by the PDP to serve him, saying categorically that he is 100 percent qualified to contest the governorship election under the platform of the APC.

In a statement signed by his media adviser, Mr Tahav Agerzua, Ortom insisted that the constitution of the APC as amended in October 2014 at its national convention, stated clearly that a candidate can contest 24 hours after defection and as consensus candidate subject to ratification by members. He noted that only a candidate of the primary election can challenge the nomination.

However, Wombo argued that Ortom has violated section 177 (c) of the 1999 constitution as amended which, according to him, stated that before a candidate is qualified to contest the primary election, he or she must be a member of the political party and must be sponsored by the party. He further noted that section 85 of the electoral act stipulate that a party must conduct primary election for a candidate to be nominated.

Pesiding Jugde,Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Makurdi  directed the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State to affix the service of summons challenging the qualification of governorship nomination of the APC flag bearer, Chief Samuel Ortom, at his private residence in Makurdi.