Ondo Guber: Court dismisses suit challenging Akeredolu’s re-election

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJanuary 13, 2021

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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed another suit challenging the validity of the emergence of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 20 primary election.

Delivering a ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit filed by Olajumoke Anifowose, an APC aspirant in the poll.

Ms Ekwo held that the application was statute-barred.

On July 20, 2020, Newsflash247 had reported that Akeredolu had won the All Progressives Congress’s governorship primary elections.

Akeredolu polled 2,458 delegate votes while his closest challenger Olusola Oke got 262 votes. Former chairman of the party in the state Isaac Kekemeke came a distant third with paltry 19 votes.

Both Olayide Adelami and Nathaniel Adojutelegan tied in the fourth position with four votes apiece. Jumoke Anifowose was fifth with just two votes. Ifeoluwa Oyedele and Awodeyi Akinsehinwa got one vote each. Jimi Odimayo had no vote. 33 votes were declared invalid.

11 out of 12 governorship aspirants earlier rejected the indirect primary option, while Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who is seeking reelection, supported it although he said he was not afraid of direct primary.

Three out of the 11 governorship aspirants stepped down to support Akeredolu few hours to the poll, while Awodeyi Akinsehinwa, Bukola Adetula, Sola Iji, Olusola Oke, Jumoke Anifowoshe and Olayide Adelami took part in the poll.

Meanwhile, Akeredolu was declared the winner of the October 11, 2020 governorship election in the state after polling 292,830 votes to defeat his closest rival, Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP, who scored 195,791 votes.