OYO State High Court sitting in Ibadan on Monday adjourned a case involving Sunday Moses Adeyanju, Senator Ayo Adeseun, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi, Dr Bayo Adepoju and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Oyo state chapter and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) till 6th November 2018 for hearing of pending application.
Justice Ganiyu Sunmonu adjourned the hearing following an application by the counsel to the claimants, Micheal Lana to change the third and fourth claimants in the suit numbered I/956/2018.
Senator Adeseun and three others had brought to the notice of the court in a case filed on 21st September, 2018 that the ‘purported list of delegates contained in the report of a three ad hoc ward delegates committee dated 10th September 2018 is undemocratic, unconstitutional, null and void, thus seeking the order of the court to set aside the anything done or purported to be done or any primary election conducted by the first defendant.
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The third and fourth defendants; Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi and Dr Bayo Adepoju had since dissociated themselves from the suit since it went public.
So, on Monday, the claimant’s counsel, Michael Lana approached the court for amendment of the process earlier filed because the third and fourth defendants had dissociated themselves from the suit.
The defendants’ counsel, Adeniyi Farinto, informed the court that he was not served the court processes before Monday session, agreed that the third and fourth claimants; Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi and Dr Bayo Adepoju be removed from the substantive suit before the court.
According to the defendants’ counsel, Adeniyi Farinto: “we have just entered the court for a conditional appearance on behalf of the PDP and informed the court that we’ve not been served with the processes. Then, that there is this issue of the third and fourth claimants’ who denied the knowledge of the suit and dissociated themselves from it. And the claimant’s counsel has brought a proper application to strike the names of those people. So, the court now gave an order that he should go and amend all the processes.”
Also, in an interview, Micheal Lana in an interview admitted to the application to amend the process which he said the court granted.
His words: “We filed an application that we want to amend our processes to remove some names of those that instituted the action and to add some other reliefs. So those were the ones that were granted. We also had an application to set aside the gubernatorial primary election that was held on the 30th of September that is the one the defendants’ counsel said he wants to react to, and the court has now adjourned till 6th November for them to file their objection. We will be expecting that for them to file a reaction to our motion to set aside everything.”
Justice Sunmonu informed that the case will now be heard on 6th November with amendment on writ of summons and statement of claim.
He also intimated the counsel to abide by the rule of the court and the law, promising that the court will not hesitate to give the matter accelerated hearing if need be.
