Ekiti guber primary: APC aspirant closes case in suit challenging Oyebanji’s nomination

A former governorship aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Kayode Ojo, has closed his case at the Federal High Court in the suit he filed challenging the nomination of the governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, by the APC for the June 18 governorship election.

Ojo, in a suit, marked FHC/ABJ/C5/15/2022 earlier filled in the Abuja division of the court which was later transferred to the Ado-Ekiti division is asking the court to declare him as the valid candidate of the APC on January 27, 2020, governorship primary of the party or nullify the entire shadow exercise.

In his prayers before the court, Ojo stated that “the decision of the party to conduct the 2022 Ekiti State gubernatorial primary election purportedly with the use of political appointees of the state executive as an electoral committee/ returning officers constitute an irregularity and fundamental non-compliance with the party guidelines regulating the conduct of the said party primaries, the Electoral Act and was therefore void and of no effect.”

He equally prayed the court, “to set aside the party gubernatorial primary conducted on January 27, 2022 on the grounds of infraction of the APC constitution, guidelines and the 1999 constitution and ordering the conduct of fresh primary by the party.

“The cancellation of the votes irregularly and fraudulently recorded for Biodun Oyebanji during the primary on the ground that the governor-elect had run foul of the provisions of the APC constitution and the guidelines regulating the conduct of the party primaries.”

Before closing his case before Justice Babs Kuewumi, the plaintiff was led in evidence alongside with other witnesses by his lead counsel Dr Alex Izinyon SAN.

The proceedings however suffered a setback as the defence team through its lawyer, Kareem Akingbolu failed to open their case and pleaded with the court for an extension of time for filing of the defence.

But, the plaintiff’s lawyer argued that since the order of the court to publish the writ of summons was carried out on March 21, 2022, “the defence team ought to have filed their reply within 30 days which lapsed on April 21, 2022.”

He asked for a leave of court to reply formally to the application made by the defence for an extension of time and the case was subsequently adjourned till July 25, 2022, for the continuation of trial.