By Emma Amaize
ALL Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP, governorship candidate in the 2007 election  in Delta State, Chief Micheal  Ighofose has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before a Federal High Court , Abuja, challenging his unlawful substitution in the January 6, gubernatorial rerun in the state by the Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Ada.

Chief Ighofose is praying the court to order the cancellation of the re-run election, won by Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

INEC, all the governorship candidates of the 14 political parties that participated in the rerun election are defendants.

It will be recalled that on  the list of governorship candidates  by INEC for the rerun, the name of  Mrs Veronica Mutu was approved as the ANPP flag bearer, even though the national secretary of the ANPP,  Mr. Shettima Ali, had written INEC, Abuja, confirming Ighofose as the party’s governorship candidate  for the rerun,  but, the election was conducted without his name on the ballot papers.

Ighofose is arguing that “as a consequence of his unlawful exclusion, the rerun election that took place on  January 6, conducted by INEC, is null and void, and should be nullified, and fresh election  conducted in the state.”