BY MOYINOLUWA BAMIDELE-LUCAS
THE end seems not to be in sight in the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, as another Appeal Court judgement has faulted the primary election that produced Ladi Adebutu as governorship candidate.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, set aside an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court given in favour of Adebutu, a factional candidate of the PDP in Ogun.
The three-member panel of the Appelate Court held that the ruling by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which declined jurisdiction to entertain a suit filed by one of the aspirants, Jimi Lawal, was not in order.
Lawal, in his suit, challenged the use of a delegates’ list in the May 25, 2022 primary election that purportedly threw up Adebutu as factional candidate.
He alleged that the said list was not that of the delegates who were democratically elected for the primary election at the ward congresses.
Justice Biobele Georgewill, who delivered the lead judgment at the Court of Appeal, maintained that the issue in contention was a pre-election matter, over which the Federal High Court had jurisdiction.
He remitted the case to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for the hearing of the case on its merit.
According to the judgment, since the period of 180 days for determination of pre-election cases is still running, the suit should be remitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and assigned, promptly, to another judge for trial.
Other members of the panel, including Justices Danlami Senchi and M. Mustapha,
agreed with the lead judgment.
Details soon…
