Still on #CRN Senate :

The insinuations that Joe Agi, SAN of the APC will unseat whoever eventually wins the PDP ticket on the claim that the party reportedly had two candidates in the December 5th bye-election may not be the case.

This narrative even as a layman doesn't make sense to me and I think the learned counsel may approach the court for reasons other than that.

If two people laying claims to one ticket is enough reason to disqualify a party from participating in an election then the APC in Cross River State would have been disqualified in the tribunal when both Pst. Usani Uguru Usani  and Sen. John Owan Enoh petitioned the outcome of the 2019 governorship election as candidates.

Although, they both lost the case but both tribunals recognized Sen. Owan Enoh as the validly nominated candidate of APC and even asked Pst. Usani to pay him some compensation. The judgment was not decided on the grounds that APC had two candidates. 

Also, just like the PDP, on the eve of the election, INEC announced the delisting of all the Oshiomhle backed APC candidates inline with a court order and stated that the commission was waiting for the NWC of APC to forward names of candidates from Usani's faction.

Even the Imo governorship election where Supreme Court disqualified Uche Nwosu for being candidate of two parties, APC and AA in the election but later declared Hope Uzodima, another candidate as winner can be referenced in this case. 

Another good example is the Niger East senate tussle between Senators David Umaru and Sani Musa. Both men claimed they won the APC ticket. Although, the party sent the name of Umaru to INEC, Musa was declared by a federal high court as winner of the primary that should inherit APC victory. Umaru went to Appeal Court and got victory but the Supreme court on the 14th of June, 2019 set aside the Appeal Court judgment and upheld the High Court ruling that declared Musa winner. 

This instance should also help people who believe that all National assembly pre-election matters end in Appeal Court to know that that's not always the case. The CRN PDP matter will be decided in Supreme Court just like that Niger East. 

Similarly, In Imo North, APC is facing what the PDP is facing in Cross River with two people laying claims to the victory of the party in the just concluded election.

The question those saying PDP had two candidates have not answered is whether the relevant party organ that forward names of candidates to INEC actually forwarded two names for Cross River North Senatorial bye-election. I don't think the party's legal team would have allowed that.

So, from all indication, Agi may head to court purely on technical grounds and not for this issue. It should be obvious at this point that he's keeping his plans which only time will reveal very closed to his chest.

So far, the Senate race is still very open.

Indeed, the days ahead will be more interesting.