By Kunle Adewale
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Henry Ajomale, has said yesterday’s court judgement cancelling Odi-Olowo Local Council Development Area’s primary election conducted by the party was obtained by deception.
The primary was to pick candidates for the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Reacting to the court verdict calling for the fresh primary election in the area, Ajomale in a press statement said the court case was an ambush, adding that the case was filed by former Commissioner for Environment in Lagos, Muiz Banire by proxy.
The statement reads: “This judgment in respect of Odi-Olowo LCDA was obtained by deception. It was an ambush. The judge was misled into believing those presented to him as genuine members of the APC have nothing to do with the conduct and organisation of the primaries.
“Pray, how can the so-called party members brought in as defendants be the same persons disavowing the party’s primaries? They were the ones who were served the court processes. Nobody in APC Lagos was served the court processes. They were the plaintiffs and defendants at the same time. Muiz Banire filed the suit by proxy; he also procured the lawyer who ‘defended’ the party. As the Yoruba would say, he invited the thief and also called for law enforcement officers to come and arrest the thief.
“The court process had been on for more than a month, but the party only knew a day before Banire got the judgement. This judgment is frivolous. This is a pyrrhic victory. The party has set in motion the process of putting down the judgment by way of appeal. We have put together a crack team of senior legal practitioners to properly defend the party. This judgment cannot stand.
“It must be pointed out that this flighty judgment is in respect of Odi-Olowo LCDA. There is another one also fraudulently filed in respect of Mushin and recall that Odi-Olowo and Mushin are the two local governments where Banire comes from. The fraudulent cases are a testimony to how an officer is busy abusing his position.
“With the appeal, the party’s arrangements for the election as fixed by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) would continue in Mushin and Odi-Olowo and APC members should intensify their ongoing campaigns. They should not be distracted by this irresponsible conduct.â€
