Why Adeoti wants governor disqualified
Osun State Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Saturday’s election, Gboyega Oyetola, will today know his fate whether he will participate in the election or not.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has today to deliver judgment in a suit seeking his disqualification.
Justice Inyang Ekwo on Wednesday fixed judgment for today after counsel for the parties adopted their processes and presented their arguments in the matter.
A chieftain of the APC, Moshood Adeoti, had filed the suit through his legal team led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chiesonu Okpoko.
Adeoti, one of the aspirants who lost the APC governorship ticket to Governor Oyetola in the party’s primary held on February 19, is contending that it was wrong for Governor Gboyega to have contested the primaries because he was then still a member of the Governor Mai Bunu led Caretaker Extraordinary and Convention Planning Committee.
He is, therefore, praying the court to nullify Oyetola’s candidacy.
The plaintiff further contended that the governor’s participation contravened the provisions of Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Article 31(iii) of the APC, October 2014 (as amended).
He argued that Oyetola ought to have resigned his membership of the APC’s CECPC and leave office as an officer of APC at least 30 days prior to the date of the Osun State primary election, to qualify for participation in the said party primary election.
Governor Oyetola is seeking the mandate of the people of Osun State to fulfill his constitutionally guaranteed right to run for a second term of four years.
He was sworn into office after he won a re-run election that was declared inconclusive in 2018 and took over from the incumbent Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.