— Announces election that produce factional candidate null and void
By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State capital on Wednesday ruled on the validity of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.
The court yesterday dismissed a suit filed by Prince Dotun Babayemi, seeking to be declared the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the July 16th governorship election in the state.
The court consequently affirmed Senator Ademola Adeleke as the validly elected PDP candidate for the poll.
Delivering his judgement which took over 1 hour, 30 minutes, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, held that the primary election conducted at the WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo, on the 8th of March, 2022, which produced Babayemi was null and void.
According to Justice Nathaniel Ayo Emmanuel, Dotun Babayemi did not participate in the PDP primary election.
Justice Emmanuel, who held that the court could not pick candidates for any political party, also added that it was an internal party issue and therefore the matter was dismissed.
During the PDP gubernatorial primary election held on March 8, the Wale Ojo faction which produced Dotun Babayemi held a parallel primary at the WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo.
But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised PDP primary held at the Osogbo City Stadium, under the supervision of Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, as Chairman in which Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke was declared the winner.
In a list of candidates later released by INEC, Adeleke was recognised as a duly elected candidate of PDP in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.
It was for this reason that Babayemi approached the court to challenge the submission and nomination of Ademola Adeleke by the PDP to INEC and the validity of the primaries conducted at the stadium against the one conducted at WOCDIF.
