A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital on Tuesday, nullified the guber primary elections conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The court ruled that a fresh primary election should be conducted by the party, ruling that the primaries conducted were not in compliance with the Electoral Act.
The party had on May 25 conducted the primary election which produced two factional candidates, Adebutu and Sowunmi as the flagbearers of the party.
However, three members of the party, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala, and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuri, subsequently dragged the party, Adebutu, and INEC to court, challenging the authenticity of the delegates’ list used for the conduct of the primary election.
The plaintiffs, Taiwo Olabode Idris; Kehinde Akala, and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuru, in an Originating Summons filed by Dr. Kemi Pinherio SAN, had approached the Court seeking an order nullifying or setting aside the Special State Congress or indirect primary election held by the party on the 25th of May, 2022 to choose the candidate which the party intends to nominate or sponsor at the 2023 Governorship election in Ogun State based on the list of delegates who were not democratically elected at the ward congress.
They also prayed for an order of the court directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard or refrain from giving effect to the results of the alleged first defendant indirect primary election, conducted in May, based on the list of ad-hoc delegates who were not elected at the ward congresses constituted by the party for that purpose.
Reacting to the judgment, the counsel to the plaintiffs, Thaddeus Idenyi, said the court nullified the election “because it was conducted using a list of ad-hoc delegates who were not elected.”
“The implication of the judgment is obvious, the PDP will have to put their hats together and then conduct a fresh primary as ordered by the court.
“This time around, the court was specific that they have to use the list that has been certified by INEC because after the primary, those lists were submitted to INEC as parts of its report of covering those ward congresses held, so the court has now said that is the list which must be considered in the conduct of the fresh primaries, so the PDP had to just put their house together and use those lists to conduct a fresh primary,” Idenyi added.
When contacted the Publicity Secretary of PDP in the State, Akinloye Bankole, said the party would study the judgment before it will take any step on it.