Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected former minister, Mr. Samuel Ortom, as gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Benue State, it was learnt yesterday.

The George Akume faction of APC has since endorsed Ortom as APC ‘consensus’ candidate , attracting a litigation from the Hon. Emmanuel Jime faction of the party.

A source in the office of the Director of Organisations at INEC headquarters, Alhaji Abubakar Kari, confirmed that the department has rejected Ortom's name because it is not on the INEC list of aspirants on the APC platform.

Four of the five aspirants on the platform of the APC went to court last week on the grounds that Benue APC breached its constitution and the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, in imposing Ortom on the party.

They therefore sought an order restraining Ortom from being considered as a candidate for the polls next year.

They are also asking the court to restrain the INEC from recognising Ortom as the party’s candidate for the election.

They want the court to issue a restraining order against Ortom from parading himself as APC candidate; as well as a conclusion of the primary that was abruptly discontinued on December 5 and a winning aspirant declared from the result of a conclusive primary.

The plaintiffs are Hon Jime, Sen JKN Waku, Prof Steve Ugbah and Mr. Mike Iordye. The four aspirants are seeking the opinion of the court on whether by the provisions of the laws, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Akume and APC state chairman, Mr. Abba Yaro, have the power to pick a gubernatorial candidate for the party, as against the provision in the APC constitution that only the National Working Committee can do so; and that if the duo do not have such powers by the combined effects of the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and APC constitution, the candidate they have picked, Ortom, should be restrained from parading himself as APC gubernatorial.

They have also asked if by the provisions of the Electoral Act and APC constitution, a consensus candidate can emerge without the consent first of the bonafide five aspirants screened for the party’s primaries of December 5.

It would be recalled that Mr. Ortom, who joined the party a few days ago, was summarily declared by the Akume faction of the APC as the party’s candidate without consulting other aspirants in the inconclusive primary, leading to the crisis presently rocking the party in Benue.

•Sourced from National Mirror. Photo shows Ortom.

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