I am still the Labour Party C’River South Senatorial District candidate… Daniel ‘Dansuki’ Asuquo

0
207
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Daniel Asuquo the Labour Party, LP Cross River South Senatorial District candidate for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria has insisted that he is still a candidate for the forthcoming general elections NEGROIDHAVEN can report.

The Thursday assertion is coming on the heels of the recent (26th of October) court judgement striking the name of Asuquo off the list of Senatorial District candidate for Cross River South.

Asuquo who is representing Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency observed that granted that there was a court judgement affecting his candidature, he had appealed the judgement and even requested for a stay of execution order of the penultimate judgement.

Asuquo’s words: ‘…His Lordship decided to rule otherwise and thereafter ordered that INEC delist my name from the list of those contesting for the senate of the southern senatorial district.

‘But, it is also a known norm that you either accept the judgement or you appeal. And the Labour Party, the presidential candidate Peter Obi and myself looked at the judgement and we completely disagreed with the judgement and we seek for relief in the higher court which is the court of appeal.

‘And let it be on notice that it is only when there is no relief from the court of appeal or any other court of higher jurisdiction that you can say I am not a candidate. So, as at today, I am still the candidate of the Labour Party in Cross River Southern Senatorial District candidate. Yes, there is a judgement; yes, we have appealed that judgement; yes, we have filed notice of appeal; yes, we have filed for stay of the order, and all that, it is a normal thing. So, for our opponents who believe that their day is made because Dansuki is not contesting, I think they have to do more work than that.

‘The politics of the south and delivering of the dividends of democracy is not just looking for back stage tactics. If you are popular, you want the people to vote for you, why not we go to the field. It’s unfortunate that these newcomers into these our business think that the tactics is to use the backhand card.’

On his part, the Chair of Labour Party, LP in the state Ogar Osim who expressed surprise at the news of his party not having a senatorial district candidate in Cross River South, argued that any attempt to deprive Asuquo of his candidature for the senate is already a lost battle.

According to the state party chief, ‘…this is the more reason Labour Party has come to make reform at various systems. And one of the systems that we cannot wait in reforming is the judicial system. Because on the 24th of October a court passed a judgement on the case involving two persons, and in that judgement the court said it is the place of the party to produce a candidate of their party. On the 26th of October another court sat and is trying to disqualify a candidate that has duly fulfilled all party requirements and that of the law and was produced as a candidate of the party. And a court is saying he is not a candidate of that party so, I want to say to you that Rt. Hon. Daniel Effiong Asuquo is the candidate of Cross River Southern Senatorial District. He fulfilled all requirements by law’.

Osim further noted that the said legal suit is also against the LP’s presidential candidate Peter Obi. But, he disclosed that the plot and plotters will fail.