The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by the Dan Orbih faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A five-member panel of the court held that the appeal filed by Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama was incompetent having been hinged on issues that did not form part of the judgment of the Court of Appeal which he had appealed.
Justice Centus Nweze, in the lead judgment, held that an appeal must be based on issues contended at the lower court to qualify for a review.
Justice Nweze added: “Any ground of appeal that does not challenge issues raised at the lower court is incompetent. I enter judgment in favour of the respondents.”
The judgment in the appeal marked: SC/CV/1575/2022 was applied to about eight other Appeals relating to the dispute in Edo PDP over which faction conducted a valid primary, from which the party’s authentic candidates emerged.
The state Deputy Governor, Phillips Shuaibu, who witnessed the proceedings, hailed the decision.
Shuaibu who expressed delight that the question about the authentic list of candidates in Edo PDP has been finally addressed, called on all PDP members to join hands to deliver for the party in all the elections.
He noted that there was no winner or loser as the victory belonged to the PDP.
