A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to sack Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu over his emergence as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election held in Ondo State.
Marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/881/20200, the suit had challenged the outcome of the APC’s governorship primary election which produced Akeredolu. The suit was filed by Mrs. Olajumoke Anifowoshe.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling on Wednesday dismissed the suit on grounds that the pre-election matter was filed outside of the 14 days provided in Section 185 (9) of the Constitution.
Giving background to the ruling, Justice Ekwo added that whereas the case was originally filed on July 26, 2020, within 14 days after the election, it started off on a wrong footing as the plaintiff sued the Governor of Ondo State instead of Rotimi Akeredolu in person.
Though the plaintiff later corrected the technical details, Justice Ekwo held that the original suit filed was defective, hence the correction/substitution made by the plaintiff outside the constitutionally stipulated 14 days can not be regarded as misnomer.
The ruling added that the Governor of Ondo State is not the same as Rotimi Akeredolu, noting that while the former is an office, the later is a human being.
