6 Reasons Why Kano Court's Nullification of Alex Ottis' Candidature Cannot Stand, Prominent Lawyer Reveals

6 Reasons Why Kano Court's Nullification of Alex Ottis' Candidature Cannot Stand, Prominent Lawyer Reveals

  • A popular lawyer, Festus Ogun has tackled Mohammed Yunusa, over his verdict which nullified the candidature of the Abia state governor elect, Alex Otti
  • Sharing his expert's view on the case on social media, Ogun said that Yunusa's judgement cannot stand
  • The lawyer expatiated by listing six reasons why he is of the opinion that the judge, Yunusa, goofed

Umuahia, Abia state- A popular constitutional lawyer, Festus Ogun, has said an extraordinary judgement by a federal high court in Kano state, on Thursday, May 18, cannot stand.

Recall that the court nullified the candidature of Alex Otti, governor-elect of Abia state, and other candidates of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia and Kano states.

Alex Otti
Festus Ogun disagreed with the judgement which nullified the candidature of the Abia State Governor-elect, Alex Otti. Photo credits: Festus Ogun, Alex C. Otti
Source: Facebook

Issuing a verdict based on a suit filed by Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim, Mohammed Yunusa, the presiding judge, ruled that the emergence of the concerned persons was illegal.

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BREAKING: Alex Otti speaks after court sacks him as Abia gov-elect, gives insight on his Inauguration

The judge stated that Otti and others did not comply with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act. However, the court declined to cancel Otti's election as Abia governor.

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Alex Otti: You cannot nullify the candidature of someone already declared winner, Ogun says

Reacting to the development via his known Twitter handle on Friday, May 19, Ogun objected to Yunusa's verdict.

He wrote:

"This judgement cannot stand. Here is why.
1. Suit was instituted over a month after the election has been conducted and winners, including Alex Otii has emerged.
2. Those whose interest are adversely affected were not joined as party to the suit.
3. Who is Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim? Under the Electoral Act, 2022, only an aspirant who actually participated in the primaries can challenge the candidate of any party.

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BREAKING: Fresh intrigue as court nullifies Alex Otti’s candidature, all Labour Party candidates in Abia, Kano

4. The issue of party membership is an internal affair of political party which the court cannot entertain.
5. The suit is academic and the judgement cannot serve any purpose since the election had already been conducted.
6. The suit is an abuse of court process.
"The judgement CANNOT survive appellate scrutiny. It will be quashed on appeal."

Abia-governor elect, Otti speaks on Kano court judgement

Legit.ng earlier reported that Otti sent a strong message to the people of Abia state.

While reacting to the court's verdict regarding his Saturday, March 18 election victory, the Labour Party candidate urged Abians not to panic over his purported sack by a Federal High Court in Kano.

According to him, there is no cause for alarm over the 'kangaroo judgement'.

"I’ll use Peter Obi’s governance model in Abia," says Alex Otti

Legit.ng also reported that Otti promised to use the governance model deployed by the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi when he held office as governor of Anambra between 2006 and 2014

Otti, a former bank chief, made the comment on Thursday, March 23, during a live interview on Channels Television.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ridwan Adeola avatar

Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.