Edo Election: Court Approves Substituted Service on Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole, Others

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming September 19, 2020 Edo State election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is under the threat of disqualification through ‘substituted means’ as a suit seeking an order disqualifying him is approved by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Taiwo on August 18, 2020, issued the order for substituted means and according to report the certified true copy of the enrolled order was seen on Thursday.

The plaintiff, Charles Ude, who is a member of the APC, in the order issued, Justice Taiwo directed that a former Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, a former acting Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom, Hilliard Eta, and Ize-Iyamu be served the suit through the pasting of the court documents at the entrance gate of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The defendant in the suit is Oshiomhole, the rest of Giadom, Eta and Ize-Iyamu are the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th respectively. The Independent National Electoral Commission, and the APC, joined as the 1st and the 5th defendants had been previously served by the plaintiff. Justice Taiwo, after ordering that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th defendants are served through substituted means, adjourned till September 1.

The plaintiff, Ude, is in his suit, seeking the disqualification Ize-Iyamu’s nomination as the APC’s candidate in the forthcoming September 10, 2020, the governorship election in Edo State on the grounds that June 22, 2020, primary election which produced him as a candidate was not recognized by the then court-recognized acting National Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom.

Ude contended that the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole was suspended as a member of the party as such lost the power to act in that capacity as of the time he “floated” the committee to screen the party’s governorship aspirants in Edo State and announced June 22, 2020 primaries that produced Ize-Iyamu as the candidate.

He also argued that Giadom who was appointed the then Acting National Chairman of the party via a court order had written the Independent National Electoral Commission informing the commission of the party’s decision to postpone the Edo State governorship primary election which the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee had scheduled for June 22, 2020.