Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election that selected Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, scheduled for September 21.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Ekwo determined that the PDP primary election held on February 22 did not adhere to the Electoral Act, 2022, the guidelines for the election, or the party’s constitution.
Justice Ekwo criticized Exhibit PDP 1 presented by the party, stating it lacked substantial evidence. He concluded that the plaintiffs successfully proved their case against the defendants through the exhibits they provided.
The judge found that the returning officers fabricated the poll results rather than basing them on legitimate votes. He also noted that the exclusion of 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, violated legal provisions.
Justice Ekwo remarked that although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the 1st defendant, appeared in court, it regrettably did not submit any documentation for the case.
“I find that the plaintiffs’ case succeeds on merit,” Justice Ekwo stated.
Three discontented ad-hoc delegates, representing 378 others, had brought the suit against INEC, the PDP, its national secretary, and the South-South vice chairman as the 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs sought an order for the defendants to justify why their reliefs should not be granted, regarding the exclusion of them and 378 other delegates, whose names and election results were detailed in “Exhibits BID 8A to 8L,” from participating in the February 22 primaries in Edo State.
The plaintiffs, including Hon. Kelvin Mohammed, Mr. Gabriel Okoduwa, and Mr. Ederaho Osagie, representing others from 12 local government areas and 127 wards of the state, argued that granting their reliefs would serve the interest of justice.
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