- By Kamil Opeyemi
There appears to be trouble for the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo state as Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday set aside the party’s primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate.
The party goes into the poll in the September 21 governorship election in the state.
The court held that the PDP’s primary election held on February 22 failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022; the guidelines for the conduct of the poll, and the party’s constitution.
The impeached deputy governor of the state, Phillip Shaibu, had described the primary the party held as a farce.
Justice Ekwo said the Exhibit PDP 1 tendered by the party was bereft of evidence, held that the plaintiffs, through the exhibits tendered, were able to establish their case against the defendants.
He said he found that the returning officers who prepared the result sheets only sat down in a place to manufacture the outcome of the poll.
He said the exclusion of the 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, were against the provisions of the law.
Justice Ekwo held that, though INEC, the 1st defendant, filed a memorandum of appearance in the suit, it was unfortunate that the commission did not file any process in the case.
“I found that the case of the plaintiffs succeed on merit,” the Judge said.
Three aggrieved ad-hoc delegates, on behalf of the 378 others, had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, its national secretary and the vice chairman, South-South, as 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs, which included Hon. Kelvin Mohammed, Mr Gabriel Okoduwa and Mr Ederaho Osagie, on behalf of others in 12 local government areas and 127 wards of the State, averred that it would be in the interest of justice for their reliefs to be granted by the court.