Just In! Court Adjourns suit challenging Michael Bush’s controversial Labour Party guber ticket in Akwa Ibom

By Our Reporter 

The Federal High Court in Uyo, on Tuesday, adjourned till September 30 for a definite hearing, a suit seeking to stop Mr. Michael Bush Mbaba from parading himself as the governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Akwa Ibom State.

The suit, filed by the governorship candidate of the party, Mr. Emmanuel Friday Ben, was scheduled for the hearing before Justice Joy Ikpeme

However, the matter could not proceed as Mr. Michael Bush Mbaba, the second defendant in the case, through his lawyer, Sembenge Ekanem Esq., noted that he had not been duly served with the originating summons of the case.

In the substantive suit, the claimant, Mr. Emmanuel Friday Ben, is asking the court to restrain Bush from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the state.

Consequently, Anitie Ekpe Esq., the counsel to Emmanuel Ben, received direction from the court and handed over a copy of the originating summons to Mr. Bush’s lawyer.

Speaking shortly after the adjournment, Ekpe contended that the purported emergence of Bush and the transmission of his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Labour Party, the first defendant in the case, violated provisions of the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

He asserted that Mr. Bush was not a member of the party before the primary that produced Ben as the authentic candidate.

“Bush left the PDP shortly before the Labour Party governorship primary, purchased the nomination form, formed a parallel party structure in the state, and claimed to have contested the primary election.

“Regardless of what happens, we are asserting that the procedure cannot be accepted. It is not in line with the Electoral Act. That is why we have come to inform the court that this person is not the candidate of the Labour Party.

“He cannot be sponsored by the Labour Party. Therefore, he cannot contest the governorship election next year under the platform of the Labour Party.

“The authentic candidate of the party is the claimant in this case, Mr. Emmanuel Friday Ben. We are asking the court to consider the facts and the antecedent of Michael Bush before he announced that he had become a member of the Labour Party.

“He was in the PDP, and he cannot come from nowhere to become a member and thus be entitled to aspire to become the governor of Akwa Ibom State under the Labour Party.

“The Labour Party has filed its counter-affidavit, and we are yet to respond. I believe that by the next adjourned date, all parties are expected to have filed anything they need to submit.

“So, all processes should be in place. We will then move the court to hear our application, and they will also address the court on the issues of defense, if any.”

Ben emerged as the Labour Party’s consensus governorship candidate for the state in May during the party’s primary election held in Uyo and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Mrs. Vivian Olalipo.