The senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi, has urged the Court of Appeal in Abuja, to nullify the judgment of the Federal High Court, which disqualified him as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the senatorial election held on February 23.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in the judgment being challenged by Nwaoboshi, declared Ned Nwoko as the right candidate of the party.
Nwaoboshi had emerged as the senator-elect for another term when the Federal High Court disqualified him as the PDP’s candidate in its judgment delivered on April 3.
Nwaoboshi’s prayer for an order overruling the judgment was contained in his appeal filed before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.
At the Tuesday’s proceedings of the appellate court, Nwaoboshi’s lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), told the three-man bench that he had filed an application for abridgement of time within which the appeal should be heard.
He said he had to file the application because the respondent refused to respond to the appellant’s briefs of argument.
He noted that time was of essence as the judgment being challenged was delivered on April 3, and by constitutional provision, the period within which the appeal against it must be heard and determined would lapse on June 3.
He urged the court to therefore reduce the time within which the respondents should file their response, to five days.
Nwoko’ s lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), did not object to Idigbe’s request, but sought seven days to file his response.
Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr Anthony Onyere, and the PDP, Emmanuel Inodem, did not also object.
Ruling, the three-man panel of the appellate court ordered Nwoko, INEC and the PDP to, within five days, file their responses.
It gave Nwaoboshi one day to reply and adjourned till May 22, 2019 for hearing.
Culled from PUNCH
