Supreme Court To Decide Authentic LP Governorship Candidate In Benue

The Supreme Court has fixed March 13 (Monday) to hear and decide on a suit challenging Honourable Herman Lorwase Hembe’s candidacy as the Labour Party governorship flagbearer in Benue State.

Ahead of the governorship election postponed to March 18, Engineer Benjamin Iorlumum and one other person had instituted an appeal marked SC/CV/344/2023 against Hembe, LP and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The contention of the appellant is that the LP governorship candidate was still a member of the All Progressive Congress when he contested and won the LP primaries.

In his notice of appeal seen by THE WHISTLER, he stated that “the grouse of the appellant’s case disclosed double participation by the respondent in All Progressive Congress and Labour Party primary elections on the same date and time with dual membership of both APC and LP.”

Before approaching the apex court, the Court of Appeal had affirmed Hembe’s candidacy, after discovering that he resigned from the APC before participating in the primary elections of LP.

Dissatisfied, Lorlumum approached the apex court, insisting that the lower court did not consider all the issues he raised, especially with regard to membership of a political party.

He urged the court to set aside the judgement of the lower court delivered on 10/2/2023 and declare him the “sole candidate that participated in the LP gubernatorial primaries held on 9/6/2022.”

But the case could not proceed for hearing on Thursday after Hembe’s counsel, D.O. Penda asked the court for time to reply to the processes served on him by the appellant on Wednesday.

The apex court agreed and subsequently adjourned to March 13 for a hearing.

After the court rose, Penda told THE WHISTLER that his client withdrew from the APC, tendered his resignation before the joining Labour party and was eventually elected for the governorship election under the LP platform.

He added that even though “the APC still went ahead to include the name of his client at their primary election”, his client’s resignation from APC was further affirmed by the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal.