Court Strikes Out PDP’s Suit Against Nomination Of Benue’s Governor-Elect, APC’s Samuel Ortom

By Chris Nomjov

A Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, today dismissed the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State challenging the nomination of Chief Dr Samuel Ortom as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC. 

When the matter came up in court, presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako requested that the case be withdrawn for lack of substantial evidence. In her ruling, Justice Nyako dismissed the case and granted costs of N250, 000 to both Chief Dr Ortom and the APC. 

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Adeniyi Akintola led other lawyers who appeared for Chief Dr Ortom, while Barrister Michael Gusa who held brief for Sebastian Hon led others who appeared for the APC.

 

Ortom’s nomination under the All Progressive Congress; the platform, upon which he won the Benue gubernatorial elections, has been subject to controversies. The erstwhile Minister of state for Trade and Investment; had been a card-carrying member of the PDP. He contested the party’s gubernatorial flagbearer position for the 2015 elections, but lost. Few days after, he defected to the APC and won the party’s gubernatorial ticket. It is upon that platform, that he won the April 11th gubernatorial elections in Benue State.