Osun PDP Governorship Ticket: Adeleke To Know Fate As Court Adjourns Ruling Till May 18

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State on Monday, adjourned ruling on the validity of the primary election that led to the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The party had on March 8, 2022 conducted two parallel governorship with the primary at the Osogbo City stadium producing Ademola Adeleke as candidate, while the one held at WOCDIF centre has Omooba Dotun Babayemi as its candidate.
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However, Babayemi, approached the court to challenge the validity of the March 8 primary election held at Osogbo city stadium where Adeleke was declared winner and candidate of the party.

Represented by Yusuf Alli SAN, the plaintiff insisted that the primary election was conducted against the order of the court and it is null and void.

He said, “this court has the power to dismiss the illegal primary held at the stadium because any election conducted by the national body of a party as claimed by the defendants, contrary to the order of the court, is null and void.”
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Counsel to the PDP, M. A. Atolagbe, said the plaintiff did not participate in the primary election conducted by the National Working Committee of the PDP, saying it is an abuse of the court to institute the suit to challenge the process.

He maintained that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit because it is pending before the appellate court.

Also, counsel to the 3rd defendant, Adeleke, Wole Jimi-Bada, urged the court to dismiss the suit for lacking in merit and running contrary to Section 84(14) of the Electoral Act.

Meanwhile, Justice Nathaniel Ayo Emmanuel had dismissed the application by some interested parties to join the suit.

He thereafter adjourned the ruling on the arguments of the counsels to May 18.