The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has reserved its judgment in the appeal against the ruling of Justice Jane Inyang of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Justice Inyang, on November 11, 2020, struck out the originating summons brought by Owoupele Eneoriekumoh, a kinsman of former Governor Seriake Dickson, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Dickson, in a pre-election matter for want of jurisdiction.
Owoupele had prayed the court to disqualify Dickson for submitting forged information contained in his INEC EC9 form.
At the appeal hearing on January 5, Eneoriekumoh’s lawyer, Ebikebuna Aluzu, urged the court to allow the appeal by reversing the ruling of the trial court, and further discountenance with the second and third respondents’ briefs of arguments having been filed out of time.
Lawyer for the second respondent Nicholas Obhise, and also holding the brief of F. N. Nwosu, lawyer for Dickson, urged the appellate court to uphold the decision of the trial court and dismiss the appeal.
But the court reserved its judgment for a later date to be communicated to the parties.
The Nation