By Emma Amaize & Perez Brisibe

FORMER All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirant in Delta State, Mr Sunny Ofehe, yesterday, said the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, at no time invalidated the candidacy of any of the party’s candidate for the coming elections.

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Ofehe told Vanguard, “I am not a lawyer, but my understanding of the ruling of the Appeal Court is that it did not make any order or pronouncement on the candidacy of the party’s candidates for the general election.”

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Also, a lawyer and convener of Delta 2019 Restoration Group, Lucky Ajos, said contrary to reports in some sections of the state, the Court of Appeal did not “invalidate the candidacy” of APC’s governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, and other candidates of the party in the state.

Ajos, in a statement, said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was never ordered by the court not to accept names of candidates from APC in Delta State.

He said: “The Court of Appeal did not give any judgment whatsoever remotely touching on the validity of candidates produced by the Prophet Jones Erhue-led state executive of APC and all candidates across board.

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“The appellants at the Court of Appeal had challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court to entertain the matter and all the appellate court did was simply return the matter to the court below to hear the preliminary objection and substantive matter together.

“Instructively, the court below had made an interim ruling ordering the parties to maintain the status quo ante. INEC was never ordered by the court not to accept names of candidates from APC in Delta State.”