The scheduled hearing of a suit seeking to disqualify Mr Osagie Ize-iyamu as the All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in the forthcoming September 19 election in Edo State was on Tuesday stalled at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The suit was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, which alleged that Ize-Iyamu was not validly nominated as the APC’s candidate.
The PDP alleged that Ize-Iyamu did not emerge from a valid primary election.
Ize-Iyamu, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the respondents to the suit.
However, at the mention of the case before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Tuesday, PDP’s counsel, Mr Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), said he was ready for the hearing in the case until he was served a notice of preliminary objection by the APC, which he needed to respond to.
INEC’s counsel, Mr Alhassan Umar (SAN), and Ize-Iyamu’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said they would also want to respond to the preliminary objection.
The APC, in the notice of preliminary objection, sought an order for striking out the suit.
Among other grounds, the application was predicated upon the claim that the suit cannot be heard during the court’s vacation period.
The suit was originally filed at the Benin Division of the court but was later moved to the Abuja Division.