Osun Guber: Court Dismisses Suit Seeking To Disqualify Adeleke

Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday struck out a lawsuit seeking the nullification of Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 16 Osun state election.

The presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu struck down the suit on the ground that the plaintiff lacked locus standi to institute the case.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/469/22, the plaintiff, an aggrieved member of the PDP, Awoyemi Oluwatayo Lukman asked the court to disqualify Adeleke from participating in the July 16 governorship poll on the grounds that the submission of his nomination as the candidate of the PDP in the online portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not fall within the stipulated time directed by the electoral umpire.

The plaintiff argued that Adeleke’s name was hurriedly submitted by PDP on March 11 as against between March 14 to 18 as contained in the INEC guidelines.

Adeleke’s name having not been submitted within the period fixed by INEC, the plaintiff asked the court to declare the submission, illegal, unlawful, null and void and be set aside.

However, in his judgment, Justice Obiora Egwuatu struck out the suit on the ground that Lukman lacked locus standi to have instituted the case.

The judge also ruled that the suit was statute barred having been fixed outside the 14 days stipulated by section 285 of the 1999 Constitution that all pre-election suits must be filed within 14 days whereas, the instant suit was filed after 28 days.