From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has invalidated the parallel governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), where the factional gubernatorial candidate, Dotun Babayemi, emerged.
Justice Nathaniel Emmanuel-Ayoola, in a judgement on Wednesday, held that the primary was not conducted by the National Working Committee of the party and 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 of the court, declaring illegal, the governorship primary held at Osogbo City Stadium on March 8, 2022, where Adeleke emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in the state.
He contended that the election that produced Adeleke as the governorship candidate 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 recognize him instead of the third defendant, Adeleke.
But, Justice Ayoola held that the only valid election, according to the law, is the one conducted by the National Working Committee of the party and supervised by INEC, hence, Adeleke is the validly elected governorship candidate of the PDP.
Reacting to the judgment in a statement by his Director of media, Kayode Oladeji, Babayemi said “with the judgement, nobody lost.”
He said the copy of the judgement would be applied for and 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 added.