TVC N. Businessman Jimoh Ibrahim is to remain the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election scheduled to hold on November 26 in Ondo state.
This is because the special panel of the Court of Appeal sitting over the case has adjourned its judgement indefinitely. The decision of the panel, according to The Eagle, follows a suit filed at the Supreme Court by one of the parties to the case. The position of the Court of Appeal panel was revealed on Friday, November 18, by its head, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa.
It therefore means that Ibrahim, who is recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would continue to stand as the party’s candidate ahead of Eyitayo Jegede. Jegede had gone to the Appeal Court to seek a reversal of Ibrahim’s recognition as the party’s candidate by INEC. Leadership reports that Saulawa panel also ajdourned all other pending appeals, including the one that was filed by Ahmed Makarfi concerning the crisis over the governorship ticket of the party.
When the case came up on Friday, the court said it was taking the decision to adjourn ‘sine die’ in wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on interlocutory appeals filed by the respondents. Part of the motion filed by the respondents, led by Biyi Poroye, before the Supreme Court on Thursday, November 17, asked that the Saulawa panel be disbanded.
The respondents are all the Ali Modu Sheriff faction members to which tIbrahim also belongs. The report said Makarfi and Jegede are challenging the orders made by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 29 and October 14, 2016, that INEC should recognise Ibrahim as the party’s candidate.
