A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, invalidated the Peoples Democratic Party primary election that elected Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo.
INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that the election conducted on February 22, 2024, was voided on the ground that 378 delegates who were supposed to vote at the primary election were unlawfully excluded by PDP.
Justice Ekwo on Thursday, made the declaration while delivering judgment in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/165/2024, which was instituted by the aggrieved delegates, led by one Kelvin Mohammed.
The Judge, who said that 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.
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He added that from the exhibit presented by the PDP, he found that the returning officers who prepared the result sheets only sat down in a place to manufacture the outcome, of the poll.
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.
He added that the 1st defendant’s counsel only said it would be bound by the court’s decision.
The judge said: “I found that the case of the plaintiffs succeeds on merit.
Meanwhile, three aggrieved ad-hoc delegates, on behalf of the 378 others, had sued INEC, the PDP, its national secretary, and the vice chairman, South-South as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
In the suit, the plaintiffs sought two orders.
These include an order for the defendants or their agents not to act but to show cause why the reliefs of the plaintiffs in their originating summons should not be granted concerning the plan of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants to exclude them and 378 other delegates, whose names and election results are contained in “Exhibits BID 8A to 8L,” from participating in the primaries of Feb. 22 in Edo.
The plaintiffs, which include Hon Kelvin Mohammed, Mr Gabriel Okoduwa and Mr Ederaho Osagie, on behalf of others in 12 local government areas and 127 wards, averred that it would be in the interest of justice for their reliefs to be granted.
