APC Primary: Court Strikes Out Kayode Ojo’s Suit Seeking To Sack Ekiti Gov-elect

Ilesanmi AdekanbiAugust 4, 2022

1 minute read

The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital has struck out a suit seeking to sack the Ekiti Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election.

Justice Babs Kuewumi who presided over the case on Thursday ruled that the matter brought before the court was defective and thereafter struck it out.

Newsflash Nigeria reports the case was brought to court by another APC chieftain, Kayode Ojo, challenging Oyebanji’s emergence in the party’s governorship primary election.

Ojo in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/C5/15/2022 which was filed in the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court but later transferred to the Ado-Ekiti division, prayed the court to declare him the valid candidate of the APC from January 27, 2020, APC governorship primary for Ekiti State.

Apart from Oyebanji, other defendants joined in the suit were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ayo Adegbete, Stephen Aribasoye, Vincent Bewaji, Goke Olajide, Lateef Akanle and Richard Apolola.

Kayode Fasakin, Adu Joseph Teju Okunyiga, Olumide Fadipe, Dele Oloje, Victor Adebiyi, Folorunso Olabode, Deji Ajayi Sunkanmi Onipede, Kemi Olaleye and secretary and members of the Ekiti governorship primary election committee were also joined in the suit.

Delivering judgment, Justice Kuewumi held that since the maker of the signature on the writ of summons and the plaintiff’s statement of claims could not be ascertained, the irregularities made the process defective.

“I am in agreement that the statement of claims by the plaintiff is incurably bad, as argued by the first defence counsel. I uphold the preliminary objection of the first defendant,” said the judge as he struck out the suit “for lack of jurisdiction,” he declared.