A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt have struck out a suit filed by the Social Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission for lack of jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Justice Henry Oshomah in his ruling said the court lacks the jurisdiction to issue interlocutory injunction to stop INEC from continuing in the electoral process in Rivers State and as well cancel the entire process.
Oshomah ruled that the matter instituted was a post-election matter and not an infringement on the fundamental right of the plaintiff.
He added that the plaintiff in the submissions agreed that election held but was disrupted by hoodlums leading to the suspension by INEC which he said makes it post-election matter that can only be determined by election petition tribunal.
Speaking to newsmen outside the court, Counsel to SDP, Somina Elaime disagreed with the position of the court, saying that it was wrong to refer a party to tribunal in a matter that results have not been collated.
Elaime while insisting that no election was held in Rivers on the 9th of March 2019 said, “We will carefully study the judgment and seek directives from our client on the next line of action. We believe that justice will be done in this matter.”
On his part, Counsel to PDP, Mark Agwu declined to speak to journalists while no counsel represented the Independent National Electoral Commission in court.
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