A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the governorship primary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State.
Gregory Ibe, the founder and chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, had won the primary held on 29 May after polling 283 votes to defeat other contestants, including his closest rival, Etigwe Uwa, who scored 148 votes.
Mr Uwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, at the end of the exercise, congratulated Mr Ibe, a professor, for winning the primary.
But Chikwe Udensi, one of the contestants who polled 13 votes in the primary, filed a suit at the court challenging the outcome of the primary.
Mr Udensi in his suit, prayed the court to declare him winner of the APGA governorship primary or in the alternative, order for conduct of a fresh primary of the party in the state.
The judge, Binta Nyako, in her judgment on Thursday, held that based on the evidence and testimonies of witnesses, the APGA governorship primary election held on 29 May in the state “was flawed and marred by irregularities”
Justice Nyako consequently nullified the election and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary election within 14 days.
The court judgment comes about three months to the 2023 general elections.
Governorship election is expected to hold across the country on 11 March, next year.
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