Delta: S’Court refuses to void Mutu’s election

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By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA – The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal seeking to sack the lawmaker representing Bomadi/Patani federal constituency of Delta state, Hon. Nicholas Mutu, from the House of Representatives.

The apex court, in a bench ruling by a five-man panel of Justices led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, held that the appeal which was lodged by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Mr. William Angadi, lacked competence.

Angadi had gone before the Supreme Court to challenge the process that led to Mutu’s nomination as the candidate of the PDP in the 2015 National Assembly election.

The appellant contended that Mutu was not validly nominated to participate in the election as prescribed by both the PDP guidelines and the Electoral Act.

He prayed the apex court to set aside a judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which on August 14, 2015, declared that the respondent was validly nominated by the PDP.

The appellate court upheld a concurring verdict of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) which earlier dismissed the case for want of merit.

Dissatisfied with judgments of the two lower courts, Angadi, urged the apex court to set them aside.

Meanwhile, the Acting CJN, Justice Onnoghen struck out the matter on Wednesday on the premise that the appellant failed to obtain leave of the apex court before filling his notice of appeal.

Justice Onnoghen held that the original motion the appellant entered on August 20, 2015, contained mixed law and facts for which leave of the court was required.

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