The Supreme Court, yesterday, affirmed Mr. Oladipupo Adebutu as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the forthcoming governorship election in Ogun State.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-man panel of justices, dismissed an appeal lodged before it by an aggrieved governorship aspirant of the party in the state, Jimi Lawal.
Lawal had gone to court to challenge the list of delegates that was used in the conduct of the party’s governorship primary election, held on May 25, 2022.
He contended that the list, which he said contained names of political appointees, was not in tandem with names of delegates that were democratically elected at the ward congresses.
Consequently, the appellant, among other things, sought a court order to invalidate the outcome of the said primary election and for an order to compel the PDP to conduct a fresh one.
He further urged the court to nullify the nomination of Adebutu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
However, both the Federal High Court and the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal dismissed the case for want of merit.
Trial Justice Inyang Ekwo of the High Court, held that Lawal failed to establish his allegation that the primary election was not conducted in compliance with the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
