By Peter Duru
The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Benue State, has been enmeshed in a major crisis as six of its founding members have asked a Makurdi Federal High Court to annul the emergence of all the party’s candidates in the state in the April elections, citing the negation of the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution in the process of nominating the candidates.

Joined in the suit was the INEC. The six plaintiffs who claimed they were disenfranchised by the ACN following the non-conduct of party primaries by the party in the state, asked the Federal High Court to disqualify all the 44 flag bears of the party in the Governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

In Suit Number FHC/MKD/CS/23/2011, the former aspirants through their counsel, Edward Ikyoive, are asking the court to disqualify the Benue ACN governorship candidate, Professor Steve Ugbah, the party’s three senatorial candidates, eleven House of Representatives candidates and 29 State House of Assembly candidates.

In the originating summons supported by two exhibits and filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by their counsel, the aggrieved  members of the ACN are seeking a declaration of the court that since no primaries were conducted in the state by the ACN prior to the emergence of the effected candidates, they stand disqualified to run on the platform of the party.

Citing Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010, the peeved members of the ACN maintained that the names of the party’s governorship candidate, Professor Steve Ugbah, Benue North West Senatorial Candidate, Senator George Akume, Benue South Senatorial candidate, General Lawrence Onoja and other candidates be delisted from the INEC list for the April polls.

The suit is supported by two exhibits; A is a letter dated January 24,2011 which was signed by the Chairman, Screening Committee of the ACN for Benue State, Mr. Ayuba Butswat to the National Secretariat with the title; “Detailed and Comprehensive Reports in Respect of Screening and Election Exercise carried out in Benue State”, while Exhibit B is a letter written by the ACN North Central chairman Mr. Joseph Din to the National Secretariat of the party titled: “Breach of Procedure and Falsification of Results at the Benue State Congress and Primary Elections”.

On this premise, the aggrieved factional leaders also asked the court to direct the state chapter of the party to conduct fresh, free, fair and credible primaries under the close watch of INEC, stakeholders and the media to pick ACN candidates for the April polls since the initial exercise fell short of the rules guiding the conduct of party primaries.

Reacting to the action, the Benue State publicity secretary of the ACN, Mr. Andrew Onoja, insisted that the suit lacked merit since INEC had already issued certificates of return to all the party’s candidates in the coming elections.

Onoja added: “We are not bothered by this lawsuit because the party is on course. Some aggrieved members have already withdrawn their separate suits”, he explained.