Gubernatorial Candidacy: Prince Otu knows fate tomorrow
Emmanuel Alfred
All is not well with the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Cross River State as on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, Federal High Court sitting in Calabar adjourned hearing on the Governorship Candidacy.
The matter with suit number FHC/CA/CS/95/2022 is between APC Governorship aspirant Senator John Owan Enoh against Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressive Congress (APC) and Gubernatorial Candidate, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu.
The matter, which was adjudicated covered screening of Aspirants , academic certificates and APC screening committee clearance.
Council to Senator John Owan Enoh, Awa Kalu (SAN), argued that to be qualified to run for Party primaries, the aspirants must be carefully vetted by the Screening Committee set up by the second defendant (APC) before being cleared to run for Party Primaries.
He further argued that, “Our submission is that, based on the documents available to us, the third defendant (Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu), has not showed that he was fully cleared after screening and the plaintiff hasn’t equally indicated that there was an appeal to the Screening Committee from the third defendant.”
Addressing Newsmen at the end of hearing on Tuesday at the court premises, Council to the third defendant(Prince Bassey Otu), Barrister Mike Ozekhome (SAN) remarked that, “Today’s proceedings is the case of Sen. John Owan Enoh, against Sen Bassey Otu, the man who defeated the plaintiff Senator Enoh, with a whooping 877 votes, with Senator John Owan Enor who got a miserable 84 votes; a difference of over 800 votes.
“The case came up today, and when the counsel to the plaintiff Senator Enoh started submitting, he brought in a witness from the West African Examination Council (WAEC), without telling the Court why he is bringing a witness and what conflict he wanted to resolve by the witness as required by law.
“Meanwhile, Order 4 Room 1 of the Federal High Court Pre – Election practice direction makes it clear that you can only come to court by way of originating summons, which must be brought by way of affidavit evidence.
“According to the law, he cannot come suddenly to bring in oral evidence by calling someone from WAEC to come and testify. We do not know what he wants to testify about; but for him to be allowed to testify, he must first show the contradiction he wants to address, which he has not showed.
“He cannot call oral evidence in after the matter started by originating Summons. resulting from these arguments, Enoh’s Counsel said he wasn’t ready to respond to my submission, and asked for a short date. So the Court has granted us a short adjournment to put our thoughts in writing, where we will sight the cases of Siku Ade and others,” he explained.
However, following the arguments of the third defendant against Council to Senator Enoh on the grounds of originating Summons; the presiding Judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu ruled that the matter is adjourned to Thursday September 8,2022, to allow parties produce their thoughts on the matter.
