By: Felix Ikpotor
Governorship candidate of Accord Party for the 2023 general elections Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has urged the Rivers State Government and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to stop its meddlesomeness in the affairs of other parties in the state.
He urged the governor to concentrate on the flood ravaging parts of the state and allow parties run their affairs.
Lulu-Briggs stated this while addressing journalists after a court in Port Harcourt adjourned to December 7th for judgment, in a suit filed by the PDP against the Accord and it’s 27 House of Assembly candidates.
The gubernatorial candidate said the Rivers State government which ought to concentrate on providing succor to flood victims and remedy the hardship ravaging the state is meddling in other political party’s affairs.
“The whole idea is to disqualify candidates of other parties from running elections so you can win so easily and deny Rivers people from having the opportunity to elect that man or woman who should be their house of assembly, House of Representatives member or senator, it’s unfortunate.
“I will always elevate politics above human comfort. We went to IDP camps and the conditions we found the people are places not meant for more than 50 persons but we had over 3000 persons there and we got information that somebody even died there and we have them small relief materials. At times like this what we expect that the response will be swift, will be adequate but the PDP is rather meddling in other party’s affairs,” he said.
At the hearing of the suit, counsel for Accord, Abdulhameed Mohammed (SAN), argued the party’s preliminary objection to the suit on the grounds that it was not a pre-election matter within the meaning of section 285 of the Constitution and that, even if it were, it was statute-barred, having been filed outside the time allowed.
Counsel for the House of Assembly candidates, A.J Owonikoko (SAN) in his submissions urged the court to dismiss the suit for being an abuse of court process.
He argued extensively that the suit does not fall within the ambit of section 285 of the Constitution as a pre- election matter and the Plaintiff lacks the legal standing to institute the case.
On his part, M. A. Bawa who appeared for the 1st Defendant, INEC, impressed on the court that INEC duly observed the primaries of Accord held at a specially designated venue based on security concerns which the party had earlier notified INEC of.
The Plaintiff’s counsel, E C Ukala (SAN) responded to the preliminary objection, arguing that the Plaintiff, PDP, has a cause of action.
He also argued the originating summon initiating the suit. Counsel for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd -27th Defendants adopted their various affidavits of facts and written addresses, which they adumbrated, and urged the court to dismiss PDP’s action with compensatory costs.
The matter was later adjourned to 7th of December, 2022 for judgment.”
