THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue has dragged the state governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prof. Steven Ugbah, to court, claiming that Ugbah lacked the qualification to contest the April 26 governorship election in the state.

In the suit filed by Benue State Chairman of the PDP, Emmanuel Agbo, the party averred that Ugbah should be stopped from participating in the polls because he possesses the dual citizenship of Nigeria and the United States of America, has no valid tax clearance certificate tendered before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and did not serve the nation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme despite not being exempted by the relevant agency.

But in a statement of defence filed by the ACN Legal Adviser, Omale Omale, the party averred that the Constitution does not disqualify anybody from seeking election on the basis of dual citizenship.

However, the ACN, at the hearing of the suit yesterday at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, moved a motion asking Judge Abimbola Obaseki to disqualify herself from entertaining the matter because the party lacked confidence in her ability to deliver justice in it.

But Agbo filed a counter-affidavit asking that the suit be heard by Obaseki and not transferred to another Federal High court.

Judge Obaseki regretted that affidavits and counter-affidavits were being filed on her person even as she was constrained by law to join issues with any of the parties involved.

She adjourned the matter to April 28 for the ACN to respond on points of law to the counter-affidavit filed by the PDP chairman against their motion for the suit to be transferred to another judge.\\

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