2023: Court Nullifies PDP Primaries In Ogun, Orders Fresh Elections Within 14 Days

A Federal High court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Tuesday nullified all the primary elections conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.

The presiding judge, Justice O.O Oguntoyinbo in his judgement ordered the party to conduct fresh primaries within the next 14 days.

The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.

The party had on May 25 conducted the primary election which produced Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party.

But, three members of the party, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuri had dragged the party, Ladi Adebutu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging the authenticity of the delegates’ lists used for the conduct of the primaries.

The plaintiffs contended that the persons on delegates’ list used by the electoral panel for the primaries were not democratically elected at the ward, local government and state congresses, hence the panel “cannot unilaterally or arbitrarily impose” the list on the party for the primaries.

The plaintiffs in their originating summons, had prayed the court among others to nullify or set aside the state congress/indirect primary election, held by the 1st defendant (PDP) on 25th of May, 2022 “for the purpose of choosing the candidate which the 1st Defendant intends to nominate/sponsor at the 2023 Governorship election in Ogun State based on the list of delegates who were not democratically elected at the ward congress.”

They also sought an order directing the 2nd Defendant (INEC) “to disregard and/or refrain from giving effect to the results of the alleged 1st Defendant’s indirect primary election held on the 25th of May, 2022 based on the list of ad-hoc delegates who were not elected at the ward congresses constituted by the 1st Defendant for that purpose”.

Reacting to the judgement the counsel to the plaintiffs, Thaddeus Idenyi said, the court nullified the election “because it was conducted using a list of adhoc delegates who were not elected”.