TheCable

The federal high court in Calabar has declared Bassey Otu, a former senator representing Cross River south, as the authentic governorship candidate in the state.

Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, is backing the former senator for the position of governor.

TheCable had reported how a screening panel of the All Progressives Congress (APC) disqualified Otu from contesting in the party’s governorship primary owing to his inability to provide proof of his educational qualifications.

Some APC members also alleged that Otu was convicted of fraud and is not eligible to run for office.

Subsequently, Owan Enoh, a governorship aspirant, asked the court to disqualify the former senator as the APC candidate in the state on some of the aforementioned grounds.

At the court on Monday, Ijeoma Ojukwu, the judge handling the case, held that the former senator meets the basic educational requirement according to the constitution.

“The plaintiff failed to provide what constituted or constitutes the false information provided by the third defendant who is the candidate of his party in his affidavit or any document submitted as contained in the constitutional requirement,” Ojukwu held.

“There is nowhere in the seven-paragraph affidavit submitted by the plaintiff that the third defendant submitted any false information. The allegation of forgery was not established in any manner.

“None of the documents or certificates submitted by the third defendant gave evidence of forgery. I have carefully perused the averments and find no evidence of false information.”