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Court affirms Adeleke as Osun PDP guber candidate

By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
19 May 2022   |   2:53 am
A federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday struck out a suit challenging the candidature of Senator Ademola Adeleke under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

We must bury our hatchets, Adeleke tells Babayemi, other aggrieved PDP leaders

A federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday struck out a suit challenging the candidature of Senator Ademola Adeleke under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on July 16, 2022 governorship election.

It consequently affirmed him as the validly-elected PDP candidate for the poll.

Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke (left) and PDP’s presidential aspirant, Dr. Bukola Saraki, during a meeting with delegates and leaders of the party in Osogbo, Osun State… yesterday.


A factional candidate of the party, Dotun Babayemi, had approached the court to challenge the submission and nomination of Adeleke by the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the validity of the governorship primary of the party conducted at the Osogbo City Stadium against the one conducted at WOCDIF, Osogbo, on March 8, 2022.

The primary conducted at the Osogbo City Stadium, under the supervision of Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, produced Adeleke as the winner.

At another primary, which was held on the same day at WOCDIF, Dotun Babayemi was declared the winner.

But INEC had, in a list of candidates later released, recognised Adeleke as the duly elected candidate to fly the flag of the PDP in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

Dissatisfied, Babayemi took Adeleke, INEC and the national leadership of the PDP to court and asked the court to recognise his primary and declare him the candidate of the party.

In his judgment, the trial judge, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, said Babayemi did not participate in the primary election organised by the national leadership of the party.

He then dismissed Babayemi’s case and ruled that “the primary election held at WOCDIF Centre is not cognisable under the Electoral Act.

MEANWHILE, Adeleke has described the victory as “a clarion call for a reunion in brotherhood for collective victory in July.”

He asked Babayemi and other aggrieved leaders of the party to bury their hatchets to enable the PDP to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In a statement he personally signed yesterday, Adeleke said: “The ruling on the protracted legal battles among brothers in PDP presents all party stakeholders with a unique opportunity to join hands to electorally defeat the APC.

“I call on our leaders across the caucuses to recommit to the peace process. As for me and the entire Imole Team, we are ever ready to restore old alliances and build new ones to ensure a return to power of our great party in July.”

ALSO reacting, Babayemi said he would make his next move known after evaluating copies of the judgment.

In a statement by Kayode Oladeji, Director of Media, Omooba Dotun Babayemi Campaign Organisation, Babayemi said he would evaluate the judgment legally and politically before making the next move.

He asserted that PDP must win the forthcoming governorship election if the people of the state must be rescued from the current harrowing experiences they are going through.

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