Appeal Court didn’t affirm Sowunmi as PDP governorship candidate in Ogun, says Adebutu’s media aide

The Director of Media, Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Mr Afolabi Orekoya, on Tuesday, cleared the air on the news flying around that an Appeal Court ruled in favour of a governorship aspirant, Mr Segun Sowunmi, as the candidate of the party in the general elections in 2023.

Orekoya, in a statement made available to Tribune Online, said the ruling of the Appeal Court was misinterpreted by a section of the media.

He noted that the purported affirmation of Sowunmi was a complete departure from the matter presented before the court.

The media aide explained that Sowunmi had approached the Ogun State High Court in a suit number  AB/267/2022, on 19th April, seeking an Order of the Court to dissolve the entire Executive of the Ogun PDP on the premise that the State Executive of the party was biased by obtaining form for Adebutu.

Sowunmi equally sought an order seeking the barring of entire members of Ogun PDP Exco from conducting the primaries of the party, and also an order seeking the national party to constitute a three-man caretaker committee to conduct the party’s primaries.

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However, Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of the State High Court on Thursday, 19th May, 2022, ruled that “I find and hold that this court has no justification to entertain this suit. Accordingly, it is struck out”.

Orekoya in the statement said, “The above background is given for the general public to be well informed of the basis of Sowunmi’s appeal based only on jurisdiction and not candidacy.

“The appeal court only sat on whether the State high court has jurisdiction to hear his suit or not. 

“The appeal court only held that even though the matter is time bound but the State High court should have given him an opportunity to hear his matter.

“Therefore, the purported report on some media platforms that the appeal court affirmed that Segun Sowunmi is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was a fake and complete departure from the appeal court ruling.”