From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has invalidated the parallel governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where a factional governorship candidate, Dotun Babayemi, emerged.
Justice Nathaniel Emmanuel-Ayoola, in a judgement, yesterday, held that the primary was not conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and that the second defendant in the suit, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not supervise the election.
The plaintiff, Babayemi, had approached the court, seeking an order declaring as illegal the governorship primary held at Osogbo City Stadium on March 8, 2022, where Ademola Adeleke emerged.
He contended that the primary that produced Adeleke was in defiance to the order of the state High Court restraining the first respondent, PDP, from conducting the election.
Babayemi, thereby, urged the court to declare him as the validly elected governorship candidate of the PDP and direct the second defendant, INEC, to recognise him instead of Adeleke.
But, Justice Ayoola held that the only valid election, according to the law, was the one conducted by NWC of the party and supervised by INEC, hence, Adeleke remains the validly elected governorship candidate of the PDP.
Babayemi, who reacted to the judgment in a statement by his Director of Media, Kayode Oladeji, said the copy of the judgement would be applied for and that the next action would be taken after looking at the judgement legally and politically.
“Above all, whatever our decision is, the overall interest of the state and its people must be of paramount concern to all concerned. This is the more reason the PDP must win the coming governorship election in Osun and that’s what we are itching for,” Babayemi said.