On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected four challenges related to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP’s campaign for governor of Ogun State.
The appeals filed by Otunba Jimi Lawal, one of the candidates for governor, and a few ward delegates were rejected on the grounds that the appellants lacked standing to file a claim.
After being withdrawn by their respective attorneys, the appeals were dismissed by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who presided over a panel of five Justices.
One of the appeals, brought by Tayo Olabode against Oladipupo Adebutu, the PDP candidate for governor of Ogun State, was denied on the grounds that the delegates who brought the case lacked locus standi (legal standing).
As they were not candidates in the election, it was decided that the delegates who claimed to have been denied voting rights in the PDP primary election that produced Oladipupo cannot file any legal claims against the primary election.
The Supreme Court ruled that only an aspirant in a primary election held to nominate candidates for office, and not any other party member, may constitutionally dispute the results.
The Supreme Court ruled in another appeal based on the failure to serve the defendant with the originating summons that because the aggrieved defendants were involved in the case from the beginning to the finish, the problem of service could no longer be prioritised.
Mr. Deji Eniseyin, the attorney in charge of the appeals with the case numbers SC/CS/1599, SC/CS/1601/22, and SC/CS/1602/22, had worked hard to persuade the Justices to rule in favour of the appellants but gave up when he acknowledged that his clients fully participated in the trial despite their protests.
Tayo Olabode, who was in charge of a group of the ward delegates, claimed in a lawsuit on their behalf that they were denied the right to vote in the governorship primary.
He specifically asked the court to annul the primary election that gave rise to Adebutu on the grounds that illegal delegates presided over the primary.
The Justices asked the appeals’ attorneys a number of questions during Thursday’s sessions, but they received unfavourable responses.
Despite the ward delegates’ ire, it was unanimously decided in open court that they were not authorised by law to dispute a primary election in which they were not candidates.
The attorneys for the appellant, Chikwudi Enebeli and Deji Eniseyin, stated that they were sadly dropping the claims of their clients in light of the findings.
As a result, Justice Kekere-Ekun rejected the appeals on the grounds that they were without merit.
