Justice Morenike Ogunomijo of the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin on Thursday authorized the All Progressives Congress (APC) to proceed with its primary election in Edo State using its preferred mode in a ruling delivered by the lead Justice.
Setting aside the previous ruling of the Federal High Court restraining the All Progressives Congress from conducting its primary election pending the determination of the suit filed by the allies of the embattled Governor Godwin Obaseki contesting the primaries of the party in the state, the Appeal Court upheld the power of political parties to set, hold, and determine its representatives for elections in manners deemed appropriate without interference from the court.
Justice Morenike Ogunomijo and Justice Sam Oseji who voted to overrule the ruling of the lower High Court frowned at the order it termed as ‘problematic’ before authorizing the APC to proceed with its primary election on the 22nd June.
The criticism of the previous High Court ruling by the Appeal Court Justices reechoes previous concerns by legal experts who deemed the dismissed restraining order as a perversion of justice and a stalling tactic deployed by Obaseki and his allies who are only interested in scuttling the primaries of the APC, not arguing out their case in court.
