The PDP’s primary poll, which produced Asue Ighodalo as the party’s nominee for the upcoming Edo governorship race, was declared unlawful on Thursday by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to a ruling by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the PDP’s primary on February 22 did not adhere to the party’s constitution, the rules governing the vote, or the terms of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The plaintiffs were able to prove their case against the defendants by the exhibits that were tendered, according to Justice Ekwo, who stated that the party’s Exhibit PDP 1 was devoid of proof.
According to the judge, he discovered from the PDP’s demonstrate that the returning officials who created the result sheets merely sat down in a location to fabricate the poll’s results. He declared that it was illegal to exclude the 381 delegates, which included the plaintiffs.
Despite the fact that INEC, the first defendant in the lawsuit, submitted a memorandum of appearance, Justice Ekwo stated that it was regrettable that the commission had not submitted any paperwork in the matter.
The first defendant’s attorney simply stated that it will abide by the court’s judgment, according to the judge.
“I found that the case of the plaintiffs succeed on merit,” the judge stated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), three irate ad hoc delegates filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, its national secretary, and the vice chairman of South South as the first through fourth defendants, respectively, on behalf of the 378 other parties.
The plaintiffs requested two orders in the complaint filed on February 8 but dated February 7 under the file number FHC/ABJ/CS/165/2024.
Among these is an order directing the defendants or their representatives to do nothing but to provide justification for the reasons why the plaintiffs’ relief requests in their original summons should not be granted. This relates to the plan of the second, third, and fourth defendants to bar them and 378 other delegates—the names and results of their elections are listed in “Exhibits BID 8A to 8L”—from taking part in the primaries on February 22 in Edo.
The plaintiffs, who are Mr. Ederaho Osagie, Mr. Gabriel Okoduwa, and Hon. Kelvin Mohammed, claimed that granting their reliefs would be in the best interests of justice on behalf of others in 127 wards and 12 local government regions.
According to NAN, the 381 delegates are supporters of deputy governor Philip Shaibu, who is under investigation.
