A Federal High Court in the capital city of Cross River, Calabar, on Monday declared Bassey Otu as the authentic governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress, in Cross River State for the forthcoming 2023 election.
According to Daily Post, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who presided over the matter, made the declaration while delivering judgment in a suit in Calabar, while holding that it remains the right of political parties to determine their governorship candidate.
Recall that, Owan Enoh, another APC governorship aspirant in the state, had after the primary earlier in the year, approached the court to seek the disqualification of Otu as the APC’s governorship candidate.
The judge, however, in her ruling said, “That a candidate contesting for the position of the governor must be a Nigerian, meet the stipulated age requirement and have basic qualification according to the constitution.”
According to her, the matter of determination of a governorship candidate of a political party is, and still remains the right of a political party.
The development has finally put to rest months of speculations and division in the Cross River APC as the party can now proceed to prepare for the 2023 campaigns.
