The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal by Kenneth Imansuangbon, which sought to disqualify Olumide Akpata as the Labour Party’s governorship candidate for the upcoming September 21 election in Edo State.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Okon Abang, the court ruled that Imansuangbon failed to utilize the Labour Party’s internal conflict resolution process before turning to the courts.
The case was deemed premature, as the necessary legal steps had not been followed.
Additionally, the three-man panel unanimously noted that Imansuangbon did not provide the contested results of the party’s February 23 primary election, which he claimed to have won.
Earlier, in June, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had also dismissed a suit challenging Akpata’s nomination, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to file the case, as argued by Akpata’s lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN).