Ekiti 2022: Federal High Court denies disqualifying APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji

The Federal High Court has waved aside the report making the rounds in some quarters that it had disqualified the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, from participating in the Saturday’s governorship election.

The court’s statement was signed by the Assistant Director Information, Federal High Court of Nigeria, Catherine Oby Christopher, on Thursday.

The court said there has been no such case before the Hon. justice I. E Ekwo-led court.

The court described the story as unfounded, very mischievous and aimed at not only misleading members of the public, but also causing tension.

“The attention of the Federal High Court has been drawn to an online report in circulation on the above subject matter with a purportedly assigned Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CS/528/22, claiming that Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo disqualified the APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji from the Ekiti governorship election, less than 48 hours to the polls.

“The Federal High Court hereby debunks the existence of any such case in its entire jurisdiction and indeed the Court Order as alleged.

“It is worrisome that some media practitioners hasten to give false information to the public for their own selfish interests, thereby unduly heating up the polity.

“Professionalism and truth remain ethical values that should guide journalists in their daily reportage of issues.

“This spurious reportage sold out to the public is most unfortunate and unacceptable. It should be totally ignored,” the information director said.

The governorship election in Ekiti holds on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

The APC, being the incumbent political party, is seen as one of the main contenders in the election.

In what is looking like a three-horse race, other main contenders are the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Social Democratic Party, SDP.