Wild celebrations erupted at the Labour Party secretariat in Abuja as the Supreme Court delivered a verdict affirming Senator Athan Achonu as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming November 11 governorship election in Imo State.
Achonu, who aims to become the country’s first physically-challenged governor through this off-season election, was the cause of much jubilation.
Basil Maduka, a disgruntled aspirant from the previous Labour Party primaries, had challenged Achonu’s candidacy in both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. However, the Supreme Court, on Thursday, dismissed the case due to a lack of locus standi, essentially ruling that Maduka did not have the legal standing to bring the case before the court.
The five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Iyang Okoro, not only dismissed the case but also reprimanded the appellant for abusing the court process and wasting the court’s time. In a press briefing in Abuja, Kehinde Edun, the National Legal Officer of the Labour Party, praised the Supreme Court justices for their decision, stating that they had indeed dispensed justice in the case. He highlighted that the justices recognized the lack of locus standi and admonished the petitioners’ lawyers for their time-consuming actions.
