PDP writes INEC , rejects Kashamu, others as candidates in Ogun

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject the list of its Ogun State candidates for the National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly elections published by the commission in its final lists on January 17 and 31.

INEC had listed Senator Buruji Kashamu as the PDP governorship candidate in the state as opposed to Honourable Ladi Adebutu recognised and presented to the commission by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

In a protest letter addressed to the INEC chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, dated February 1 and jointly signed by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the national secretary, Senator Umar Tsauri, the party wondered why INEC listed Kashamu and others despite the pendency of an Appeal Court judgment which set aside a lower court’s ruling that informed INEC’s decision.

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“We write to inform the commission that the list of candidates of our party for Ogun State as published in the final list of candidates for both the federal House of Representatives and the Senatorial district; governorship and state House of Assembly are not our candidates.

“They never bought an expression of interest/nomination forms, filled in same nor participated in our primaries. Accordingly, their names were not submitted by us: national chairman and national secretary of PDP.

“We are very much aware of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta division’s judgment which the commission claimed to be relying upon. Nevertheless, the Court of Appeal, a higher court with higher jurisdiction, has since set aside the judgment.

“It is trite law that once a judgment is set aside by a higher court, it no longer exists and everything built on it must collapse. In this instance, the decision of the commission to accept the list of individuals who never took part in our primaries n any manner whatsoever based on the judgment of the High Court (Abeokuta division) must collapse.

“We, therefore, invite you as the chairman/head of the commission to see through and rise above the shenanigans of your subordinates, especially those in the Legal Department by correcting this obvious injustice arising from a deliberate circumvention of the law,” the letter said.