INEC Rejects Benue APC Governorship Candidate
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the immediate past Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom, as gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Benue State, according to a source within INEC.
The Benue state executive committee of the APC had endorsed Ortom as the party’s consensus candidate, attracting litigation from other aspirants on the platform of the party.
The source in the office of the Director of Organisations at INEC headquarters confirmed that the department has rejected Ortom’s name because it is not on the INEC list of aspirants on the APC platform.
Four of the five aspirants on the platform of the APC went to court last week on the grounds that the Benue chapter of the APC breached its constitution and the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, in imposing Ortom on the party.
They therefore sought an order restraining Ortom from being considered as a candidate for the polls next year.
They also asked the court to restrain INEC from recognising Ortom as the party’s candidate for the election.
They want the court to issue a restraining order against Ortom from parading himself as the Benue APC governorship candidate; as well as a conclusion of the primary that was abruptly discontinued on December 5 and a winning aspirant declared from the result of a conclusive primary.
The aspirants are seeking the opinion of the court on whether, by the provisions of the laws, the Minority Leader of the Senate, George Akume and APC state chairman, Mr. Abba Yaro, have the power to pick a gubernatorial candidate for the party, as against the provision in the APC constitution that only the National Working Committee can do so; and that if the duo do not have such powers by the combined effects of the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and APC constitution, the candidate they have picked, Ortom, should be restrained from parading himself as APC gubernatorial.
They have also asked if, by the provisions of the Electoral Act and APC constitution, a consensus candidate can emerge without the consent first of the bonafide aspirants screened for the party’s primaries of December 5.
Reconciliatory moves are presently ongoing in Benue state to achieve a compromise between aggrieved parties in the state chapter of the APC. Sources in Ortom’s camp say the former PDP National Auditor will be officially announced as the APC governorship candidate for Benue in the next few days.
Source: Ekekee.com
