Ondo: Drama as NNPP disowns candidate’s suit against Aiyedatiwa

Drama ensued on Wednesday at the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, when the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) disowned the suit instituted by its candidate Olugbenga Edema, challenging the candidature of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami.

According to the National Legal Adviser of NNPP, Robert Hon, the party did not authorise any suit against the candidacy of Aiyedatiwa and Adelami Deputy, hence the request that the name of the party is withdrawn from the suit.

The NNPP candidate had, in a suit, asked the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the nomination and the publication of the names of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy as candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Edema, in the suit, asked the court to interpret the applicability of Section 15 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) over the nomination of the APC candidates.

With the case up for mention, Aiyedatiwa, Adelami, INEC, and APC, through their lawyers, asked the court to dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction and that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi to file the suit.

The defendants were represented by Dr. Remi Olatubora SAN, Kola Olawoye SAN, and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN, who represented Governor Aiyedatiwa; Chief Charles Edosomwan SAN, who represented INEC; and Adelanke Akinrata, among others.

Adegboruwa brought to the attention of the court a letter by the legal adviser of the party that dissociated the party from the suit over the outcome of the APC’s primary that produced Aiyedatiwa as a candidate.

The letter from the office of the National Legal Adviser dated December 10, 2024, and addressed to Adelanke Akinrata titled “Letter of Instructions,” asked the court to delist its name from the suit.

It said, “The above-captioned subject matter refers. We hereby brief you to represent our interest in Suit No. FHC/AK/CS/103/2024, wherein we were purported to have sued the defendants as the 2nd Plaintiff. You are specifically instructed to withdraw the name of the 2nd Plaintiff, New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), from the suit.

“The second plaintiff did not instruct the first plaintiff or anybody to sue the defendants in its name. You are requested to liaise with the office of the National Legal Adviser for further details.

Consequently, Adegboruwa asked the counsel of the plaintiffs to withdraw the suit for the court to strike out the case. He said there was no need to waste the time of the court on the case.

Olatubora, in his reaction, said it was scandalous for a litigant to use the name of a party to sue without due consultation. He said the case should be withdrawn and struck out by the court.

Olatubora said the fact that the letter by the NNPP was brought to the court by the state chairman of the party, Mr. Peter Olagookun, showed the authenticity of the position of the party on the APC’s primary election.

In his response, the lawyer to Edema, Abayomi Ojo, said that the candidate was not aware of the letter and would need time to study the content. He sought an adjournment of the court to respond to the letter, which he said was in court for the first time.

The presiding judge, Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke, said the case was filed in November. He said the court has five months to adjudicate on the matter, with the case subsequently adjourned to February 3, 2025, for a hearing.