The Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, has gone to a Federal High Court in Abuja, to ask for the cancellation of the primary election that chose Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the upcoming election in Ondo State.
Ibrahim, in a case labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/588/2024, informed the court that the April 20 primary election that led to Aiyedatiwa's selection was marked by numerous irregularities.
The senator, who took part in the primary election as a governorship aspirant, claimed that the primary was not lawful.
He alleged that Sections 221, and 228 of the 1999 Constitution and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 were substantially breached during the primary election.
He asserted that some delegates who were supposed to vote for him in the primary election were not allowed to vote, which makes the primary election eligible to be invalidated.
He asked the court to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting Aiyedatiwa as the APC governorship candidate in the November 16 gubernatorial election in the state.
He also requested a permanent order stopping Aiyedatiwa from presenting himself as the APC governorship candidate.
Ibrahim also urged the court to void the supposed primary election and compel the APC to hold a new one in compliance with Sections 221, and 228 of the 1999 Constitution and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The senator prayed to the Federal High Court to remove the names of the APC and Aiyedatiwa from the political parties and candidates for the gubernatorial poll.
The plaintiff further asked that the APC and Aiyedatiwa be stripped of all rights unless a new primary election is lawfully conducted to select a candidate for the governorship election.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Ibrahim’s lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), presented a request for an order of substituted service of the court process on Aiyedatiwa through any staff of the APC at the national secretariat in Abuja.
The request was granted by Justice Inyang Ekwo, who in a brief ruling, ordered that the process in the suit be served on the Ondo State governor through the APC.
He said, “Leave is granted the plaintiff/applicant to serve the originating summon and all other processes of this court in this suit on the second defendant by substituted means to wit; by delivery of same to any staff at the All Progressives Congress, national headquarters, at No: 40, Blantyre Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, being the political party of the second defendant.
“Service to be effected within two days of this order. Case adjourned till May 14, 2024, for mention.”
While Jimoh Ibrahim is the sole plaintiff in the suit, the APC, Aiyedatiwa and INEC are the first to third defendants respectively.
Aiyedatiwa was declared the winner of the primary election by the chairman of the election committee and the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo.
Ododo announced Aiyedatiwa as the winner and confirmed that the direct mode of the primary election was used in the 2024 Ondo State governorship primary elections, held in all 203 electoral wards across the 18 LGAs in Ondo State.
The governor of Ondo State won 16 out of the 18 local government areas by getting 48,569 votes, surpassing his closest rival Mayowa Akinfolarin, who received 15,343 votes in the election.
Olusola Oke secured the third position with 14,865 votes.
