From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, dismissed the suit challenging the validity of the primary election that produced Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ondo State in the last gubernatorial election.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Inyang Ekwo  held that the suit filed by one Mrs. Olajumoke Anifowose was statute barred having been filled outside the 14 days allowed by law for a pre-election matter.

The plaintiff, in the suit, specifically challenged the indirect primary election that produced Akeredolu as the nominated governorship candidate of APC.

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Anifowose contended through her counsel, Mr. Adesina Oke that section 87 of the Electoral Act and Article 20 of the APC constitution and other relevant election guidelines were violated in the primary election by the state executive committee and local government committees of APC that conducted the primary election.

The plaintiff applied for an order of the court declaring the primary election as invalid and to bar Independent National  Electoral Commission (INEC)  from recognising Akeredolu as governorship candidate.

She also prayed the court to prohibit APC from submitting Akeredolu’s name as its candidate and bar him from parading himself as gubernatorial candidate.

But Justice Ekwo upheld the preliminary objection against the suit by Akeredolu and APC who claimed that the court action was grossly incompetent since it was not filed within 14 days  required by law, and by that, the court lacked jurisdiction to