The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has declined to disqualify the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Asue Ighodalo, from contesting the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
The court, in a judgment by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, yesterday, struck out the suit brought before it by an aggrieved PDP Governorship aspirant, Anselm Ojezua.
It held that the suit, which was filed on March 6, was premature, stressing that the plaintiff failed to explore the internal dispute resolution mechanism of the party before instituting the action.
Justice Egwuatu agreed with Ighodalo’s lead counsel, Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, that it was wrong and amounted to a breach of PDP’s mandatory rule, for the plaintiff to have sidelined the Appeal Panel of the party.
He held that since it is mandatory for any aggrieved governorship aspirant to explore internal dispute mechanism resolution before approaching a court of law, the plaintiff was bound to comply with the rule like any other aspirant.
“In a matter of this nature, conditions precedent must be respected and complied with by any aspirant as had severally enunciated by the Supreme Court in all its decisions”, the Judge held, and struck out the suit.
Ighodalo, on February 22, emerged as the PDP governorship flag-bearer
Ighodalo, who is believed to be the preferred candidate of Governor Godwin Obaseki, secured 577 votes to defeat the other aspirants.
He was declared winner by the Chief Returning Officer of the Edo PDP Gubernatorial Primaries, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries, Ojezua dragged Ighodalo, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to court, and among other things, prayed the court to nullify the outcome of the primaries, and void Ighodalo’s candidacy.
The plaintiff contended that provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and guidelines of the party were grossly violated in the conduct of the primaries held at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
He alleged that fake and adulterated delegates list was used in the conduct of the indirect primaries.
