Fidelis David
Ninety ad-hoc delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the party’s House of Representatives primary in Akoko South-west/South-east federal constituency of Ondo State have dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party and its candidate for the constituency, Mr. Adegboyega Adefarati to a Federal High Court sitting in Akure seeking the nullification of the primary election result.
Adegboyega is the son of late Adebayo Adefarati who was governor of Ondo state between 1999 and 2003.
The Chairman of the State Electoral panel, Dr. Kingsley Nwankwere, had on May 27, 2022, announced the results of the primary saying out of the 113 delegates, Adefarati polled 96 votes while his closest rival, the Vice-Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on National Security, Ade Adeogun and Victor Ategbole, got six votes each.
He added that Adeyeri Stephen scored three votes, John Adanike polled one vote while there were two invalid votes out of the 113 votes cast.
In a suit filed by the lawyer to the plaintiffs, A.S Subair of Femi Emmanuel Emodamori & Co., the delegates claimed that the APC did not conduct the primary that produced Adefarati as the candidate within the constituency, adding that the lawful delegates were disenfranchised as the venue of the primary was allegedly moved to Akure.
Continuing, the case file showed that APC was the first defendant, Adegboyega, the second defendant while INEC was sued as the third defendant.
However, the plaintiffs in the case are: Agbede Femi, Oripelaye Akeem, Anjorin Emmanuel, Olowo Michael, Ogedengbe Kayode Rufus, Ayoko Bola Olajumoke, Lawal Rasaki, Tunde Aruwajoye, Olorunda Seyi Emmanuel, Ilenusi Olamide, Oladipo Daniel, Mrs. M.B. Ojomo and 78 other local government delegates of the APC in the federal constituency excluded from the primary election held at Alagbaka, Akure on May 27, 2022.
In the suit, the delegates also sought, “An order of injunction restraining the third defendant from recognising and/or including the name of the second defendant as the first defendant’s candidate for Akoko South-east/South-west federal constituency of the House of Representatives in the 2023 general election based on the result of the first defendant’s Primary Election for the said Constituency held at the International Cultural Events Center (the Dome) in Alagbaka, Akure, on 27th May, 2022.
“An order compelling the 1st defendant to conduct a fresh primary election to elect her candidate for Akoko South-east/ South-west federal constituency at a venue within the said Federal Constituency as envisaged by Section 84(5)(c)(i) of the Electoral Act, 2022 within 14 days from the judgment of this Honourable Court.
“An order mandating the 1st defendant to use only the list of her local government delegates in Akoko South-east/South-west federal constituency duly recognised/certified by the 3rd defendant, containing the names of the plaintiffs and other lawful delegates, to conduct the fresh primary election to elect her candidate for Akoko South-east/ South-west federal constituency of the House of Representatives”.
The suit also sought, “a Declaration that by the provision of S. 84(8) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Constitution of the 1st defendant, only the Plaintiffs and other lawful delegates of the 1st defendant who are duly recognised by the 3rd defendant can vote as delegates in the 1st defendant’s primary election for Akoko South-east/ South-west federal constituency of the House of Representatives.”
