Osun 2018: Court dismisses suit challenging Adeleke’s candidacy

AN Osun State High court, sitting in Osogbo, presided over by Justice David Oladimeji, on Wednesday dismissed the suit challenging the eligibility of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22 gubernatorial poll, Senator Ademola Adeleke, declaring that it lacked merit.

Two members of the party, namely Olatunji Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwasegun Idowu Thomas in the suit no HOS/19/03/2018 had joined Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke as the (1st), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (2nd), Chief Uche Secondus (3rd ), Soji Adagunodo (4th) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 5th defendants.

The plaintiffs had approached the court with a sworn affidavit, arguing that Senator Adeleke did not possess a certificate as required by Section 177 (d) of the 1999 constitution and urged them to set aside the July 21st, 2018 primary election which produced him as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

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Delivering his ruling, Justice Oladimeji held that the “the plaintiffs have admitted that the 1st defendant attended Ede Muslim High School, but failed to address forgery.”

Reading Section 177d and 318 b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the judge said the law’s requirement of the stipulated that candidate should have education up to secondary school level and the plaintiffs admitted this position in their affidavit.

However, Justice Oladimeji said the documents submitted by the 1st defendant contained serious and damaging irregularities.