The Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta has declared the purported Governorship re- run Primary election organized by the Peoples Democratic party members led by Mr. Jimi Adebisi Lawal to be illegal, unconstitutional and void.
The suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu with number FHC/AB/CS/220/2022 against Mr. Jimi Adebisi Lawal and others came after members led by Mr Jimi Lawal organized a rerun primary on 17th October in clear disobedience to the party’s guidelines and provision of the 2022 electoral act.
In the judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Akintayo Aluko, all the three questions formulated in the Plaintiffs’ Originating Summons were resolved in favour of the PDP and Hon. Adebutu.
The court declared that the purported Gubernatorial rerun Primary Election of the PDP in Ogun State purportedly conducted on the 17th October, 2022 was not conducted in compliance with the orders made by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta Division in Suit No: FHC/AB/CS/83/2022 between Prince Adesegun Seriki and Ors v INEC and Ors and Suit No: FHC/AB/CS/87/2022 between Taiwo Olabode Idris and Ors v PDP and Ors both of which were delivered on the 27th day of September, 2022.
The court further declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission cannot validly accept the name of Mr. Jimi Lawal as the candidate of the PDP as the purported re- run Governorship Primary Election is illegal, unconstitutional and void.
You will recall that Jimi Lawal had approached the Federal High Court in Abeokuta with application for a writ of Mandamus for the purpose of compelling INEC to accept the result of the rerun primary in suit No: FHC/AB/CS/222/2022 filed by Taiwo Olabode Idris and others (Jimi LAWAL’s cohorts) against Independent National Electoral Commission which was struck out by the court on 3rd November, 2022.
The ruling by the Federal High Court has ensured that the crisis rocking the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party over the 2023 Election and its Governorship Candidate in the election continues.
